The two kids from Akron stole the show at Sunday night’s 2022 NBA All-Star Game. Stephen Curry put on a shooting clinic all evening, hitting 16 3-pointers and scoring 50 points, while LeBron James hit an absurd, one-legged turnaround jumper to clinch the victory for Team LeBron over Team Durant 163-160.
Team LeBron improved to 5-0 since the NBA went away from the traditional East-West format of the All-Star Game in 2018 and instead adopted the current setup of having the top vote-getter from each conference draft teams from the game’s remaining 22 participants.
Curry was named All-Star Game MVP for the first time in his illustrious career. After setting the first-half record with eight treys, Curry brought the crowd, which had loudly booed the Golden State Warriors star before the game to its feet when he nailed five straight 3-pointers early in the third quarter, including one on three straight possessions.
After the two teams played each of the first three quarters for charity — with the winner of each individual quarter earning $100,000 for its respective charity (Team LeBron playing for Kent State’s I Promise Scholars Program and Team Durant playing for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank) — the fourth quarter was played to a target score.
During introductions, it came as no surprise that James, who grew up about 40 miles south in Akron, Ohio, received a massive ovation from the fans he has played in front of for 11 of his 18-plus NBA seasons — letting out a massive roar and raising his arms to the crowd as they did so.
Team LeBron won the first quarter 47-45, thanks to Luka Doncic scoring the team’s final six points. Team Durant came back and won the second quarter 49-46 — despite a record-setting eight first-half 3-pointers from Stephen Curry — to take a 94-93 halftime lead. The two teams then tied in the third quarter, thanks to a heady defensive play by Antetokounmpo late in the quarter.
That left the score at 139-138 in favor of Team Durant heading into the fourth, meaning that the target score was 163 points — 24 more than the total from the team leading after three, in a nod to the late Kobe Bryant, and setting up James’ final heroics after Joel Embiid and Antetokounmpo traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter.
For the second straight year, Team Durant was without its captain, as Kevin Durant was unable to play in Sunday’s game due to the MCL sprain that has sidelined him for the past month.
Durant was originally scheduled to attend the game, despite his injury, but did not after the death of his grandmother this weekend. Green (back, calf) and James Harden (hamstring) also missed the game due to injury, with LaMelo Ball, Dejounte Murray and Jarrett Allen, respectively, being tapped to serve as their replacements.
