Team LeBron beat Team Durant 163-160 in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland on Sunday night, as Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry was named NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player after scoring 50 points with 16 three-pointers.
Team LeBron won the first quarter, outscoring Team Durant 47-45. Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James led his squad with nine points on 4-for-8 shooting, while Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo had eight points with a handful of dunks. Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, and Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker had nine points off the bench. Memphis Grizzlies guard and Team Durant starter Ja Morant only had one basket in the first, but it was a spectacular reverse alley-oop jam.
First-time All-Star LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets tossed a between-the-legs alley-oop to San Antonio Spurs’ Dejounte Murray as Team Durant started the second quarter strong. Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry began to heat up, making three-straight shots from deep for Team LeBron. Morant then threw down another ridiculous dunk, this time on a 360 alley-oop slam.
With the score resetting to 0-0, Team Durant won the second quarter 49-46 and led Team LeBron at halftime, 94-93. Embiid led Team Durant with 17 points, and Booker had 16 points. Curry’s hot quarter gave him a game-high 24 points at halftime.
Curry got the crowd on their feet, making five-straight threes to open the third quarter and giving him an All-Star Game record 13 three-pointers with a total of 39 points. After a timeout, Curry splashed another shot from deep. A couple of possessions later, Team LeBron passed the ball around until they found Curry in the corner for three No. 15. Team Durant and Team LeBron tied the third quarter, 45-45, making the score 139-138 heading into the untimed fourth quarter with a target score of 163.
The intensity picked up in the fourth quarter, as teams traded buckets and it came down to a one possession game, 161-160. In his hometown, James made the game-winning fadeaway shot, as Team LeBron beat Team Durant, 163-160.
Curry scored a game-high 50 points, going 16-for-27 from beyond the arc. Antetokounmpo had 30 points for Team LeBron, while James finished with 24 points. Embiid led Team Durant with 36 points and 10 rebounds, while Booker had 20 points, and Ball scored 18 points in the loss.
