The 71st edition of the NBA All-Star Game took place in Cleveland, OH, Sunday night, with Team LeBron defeating Team Durant, 163-160.
The two teams filled the score sheets through the first three quarters as the target score was set at 163 for the fourth. In the final frame, both teams picked up the pace and played the most competitive basketball of the evening.
Fittingly, James knocked down the game-winning shot over two defenders, giving his team the three-point victory and earning $450,000 for the Kent State I Promise Scholars Program.
The kid from Akron captained his team to a win for the fifth-straight time and remains undefeated since the league implemented the rule of top vote getters captaining their respective teams back in 2018.
LeBron ended his night with 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals, and a block in a team-high 36 minutes.
Steph Curry led Team LeBron with 50 points (second-most in ASG history) and hit 16 threes, setting a new All-Star record (originally 9 made threes by Paul George in 2016). With his performance, Curry earned the 2022 Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP Award (first of his career).
The NBA honored its 75th Anniversary Team at halftime where 18 former Lakers were introduced to the Cleveland crowd. Of the 18, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jerry West, among others, were in attendance to accept the honor and take in the action.
The Lakers will be on break through Thursday and will return to regular season action on Friday when they play host to the LA Clippers.