CHARLOTTE — After dominating as Rising Stars MVP the night before, Kyle Kuzma wasn’t able to add another trophy at the All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge.
“I still wanted to win this one, but it happens,” Kuzma said. “But it’s all fun. This is a period about fun and enjoying this.”
In the opening round, Kuzma took an early lead on Dallas’ Luka Doncic, beating the Maverick down the floor in the passing and dribbling sections of the obstacle course.
But Kuzma couldn’t hit from deep, missing three 3-pointers at the finish line, where Doncic eventually caught him by hitting a trey of his own.
“He was just trying to make half-court shots,” Kuzma said of Doncic. “I don’t know what his logic was with that one. Overall, he’s a great player. He’s gonna do a lot of great things in this league.”
Doncic lost in the second round to Atlanta’s Trae Young, who fell in the finals to Boston’s Jayson Tatum.