The All-Star Game is back and for the first time in five years, the NBA returns to the standard East vs. West battle with a traditional scoring system and four 12-minute quarters.
The NBA had previously introduced the ‘Elam Ending’ in the 2020 All-Star Game, which set a target score at the start of the fourth quarter which was 24 points above the leading team’s total.
Watch an average of 9 NBA Regular Season games per week LIVE on ESPN, available via Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
That concept has been scrapped along with captain drafts, with LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo instead named captains as they look to earn Conference bragging rights.
A historic opening two quarters has seen the East and West combine for 193 points — the most in a half. The East leads 104-89 off the back of a game-high 22 points from Damian Lillard.
Steph Curry though has started to catch fire off the bench for the West and has four 3-pointers on his way to 12 points in the half.
If you wanted the perfect illustration of the varying degrees to which players were buying into the game, one sequence midway through the third quarter is all you need to watch.
On one end Luka Doncic had an easy transition layup but decided to try a self-dunk off the backboard and missed it completely.
Then, Lillard on the next play drained a ridiculous half-court shot to bring up 33 points after 11 in the quarter to that point.
“I was feeling myself too much,” Doncic later said during the broadcast.
The East led 53-47 after a high-scoring opening quarter which saw Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hit five-straight 3-pointers to finish as the leading scorer in the period.
Three-point shooting was the biggest difference between the two teams in the first quarter, with the East going 13-for-27 from deep while the West was just 5-for-15.
The West was able to keep it close though by dominating 26-12 in the paint, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the best of the bunch early with seven points in the quarter.
While defence was clearly optional in Monday’s game there were plenty of highlight-reel shots and even a sneaky between-the-legs move from Trae Young on Kevin Durant.
The Eastern Conference has been hit by two key injuries with starting big man Joel Embiid and reserve Julius Randle both unavailable and replaced by Bam Adebayo and Scottie Barnes respectively.
Meanwhile, there is no such disruption for the Western Conference as a star-studded starting line-up features three MVP candidates in Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
TEAMS
Eastern Conference
Starters
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo (starting for Joel Embiid)
Reserves
Paolo Banchero, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young (injury replacement), Scottie Barnes (injury replacement)
Unavailable
Joel Embiid (injured), Julius Randle (injured)
Western Conference
Starters
LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic
Reserves
Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Karl-Anthony Towns
LIVE BLOG:
Follow along for the latest updates from the 2024 NBA All-Stars game! Can’t see the blog? Click here!
McClung dunks over Shaq to win again! | 01:11
LEBRON OPENS UP ON FUTURE PLANS, POTENTIAL FAREWELL TOUR
James will be suiting up for an NBA-record 20th All-Star game, telling reporters the chance to share a locker room with some of the best players in the league is still something he does not take for granted.
“It’s just been an absolute honor to be able to grace the floor throughout my career and be out there with the greatest players in the world year in and year out,” he said.
“… Being here. You still get that moment where I’m in the locker room looking at Steph, AD, KD, Kawhi, Joker, Luka all those guys. Those are just a few of the names. Those are the guys in the West. So you still have that feeling like, this is pretty cool.”
James confirmed he sought treatment for a left ankle issue which saw him miss the Lakers’ last game before the All-Star break and said he wouldn’t play the “entire game” on Monday.
“I did seek treatment the last few days, trying to get my ankle as strong and as back to where I feel confident that I can finish off this last third of the season,” James said.
“I won’t be playing the entire game tonight, for sure. I can get out there and run around with the young guys for a little bit and then shut it down at some point to give my body, and my ankle more importantly, another opportunity to rest.”
James was not specifically asked on Monday about a report from ESPN which claimed the Golden State Warriors had tried to make a move to land the Lakers superstar before the trade deadline.
Both James and the Lakers were said to have not been willing to explore the potential move but it will remain a story to monitor ahead of free agency in the summer.
Dame does it again on All-Star weekend | 00:41
In the meantime, James on Monday was asked more broadly whether he had mapped out what his future looks like in terms of how many more seasons he plays and if it ends with the Lakers.
“I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left,” James replied.
“I know it’s not that many. I also don’t know if I will — I was asked this question a couple days ago. Will you kind of take the farewell tour, or will you kind of just Tim Duncan it?
“I’m 50-50, I’m going to be honest, because there’s times when I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans that have been along this journey with me for two decades plus, to be able to give them that moment where it’s every city and whatever the case may be and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool.
“But the other side of I’ve never been that great with accepting like praise. It’s a weird feeling for me. I never really talked about it much, but it’s just a weird feeling for me. So to go in each city, if that’s the case — I don’t know.
“I’ve seen Mike’s, I’ve seen Kobe’s. I’ve seen a lot of guys. I just don’t know how much I — how I’d feel. I don’t know if I’d feel great about it. Maybe the only child in me maybe.
But I don’t know.
“I am a Laker, and I am happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years, and hopefully it stays that way. But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully it is with the Lakers. It’s a great organisation and so many greats. But we’ll see. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming, for sure.”
Discussion about this post