2021 All-Star Game

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For the second straight year, Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis reached the final of the Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend. After falling to Bam Adebayo in the finals a year ago, Sabonis came away with the title on Sunday night in Atlanta, defeating Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic in the finals.

"It was definitely fun," Sabonis said. "Since I'm here (for the All-Star Game), I said 'Why not? Let's do it again.' I'm glad I got it done this time.

"It's just a lot of fun to get out there. It's actually a good warm-up before the game."

Sabonis made quick work of Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle in the first round, nailing the pass on his first try while Randle botched his first attempt, then knocking down the 3-pointer to finish the round on his first attempt before Randle could even get a shot off.

PHOTO GALLERY: Pacers at 2021 All-Star Weekend »

That set up a semifinal showdown with Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, who had a bye in the first round. Doncic struggled worse than Randle on the passing station, while Sabonis once again was flawless, securing another easy win.

In the final, he faced off against Vucevic, who knocked out Chris Paul in a tightly contested semifinal. Sabonis trailed Vucevic slightly down the final stretch and both players struggled to hit the 3-pointer at the end. But the 6-11 Lithuanian fired shots in quick succession, eventually connecting on his fourth attempt to come away with the title.

Later that night, Sabonis made his second All-Star appearance official when he checked in to the All-Star Game for the first time to start the second quarter. He got the ball on his first possession, but missed a turnaround jumper over Kyrie Irving on the baseline.

He got on the board at the 8:04 mark, when he received a dish from Doncic and threw down a two-hand slam.

Sabonis' Team LeBron won each of the first three quarters, entering the fourth quarter with a commanding 146-125 lead. Under the new All-Star Game rules installed last year, the untimed fourth quarter set a target score of 170 (the leading teams' score through three quarters plus 24) to end the game.

Sabonis started the fourth quarter and quickly helped his team near closer to victory, corralling the rebound after Doncic missed a three and kicking to Jaylen Brown in the left corner for a three. Brown hit the shot and was fouled on the play. The ensuing free throw completed a four-point play and gave Team LeBron 153 points.

The Pacers big man checked out for the final time with his team leading 159-141. Damian Lillard took over from there, scoring Team LeBron's final 11 points and closing with three straight 3-pointers, the final one from halfcourt to seal a 170-150 victory.

Sabonis logged 18 minutes, tallying two points, one rebound, and one assist.

"During the game I'm sitting next to a bunch of MVPs," Sabonis said. "Obviously, it's the best league in the world. Hall of Famers, all-time greats, just trying to soak it all in. Leaving with a 'W' always makes it better."

By winning each of the first three quarters and the game, Team LeBron raised $1.25 million to be donated to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was named the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP after scoring 35 points on perfect 16-for-16 shooting.

Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley finished in third place in the 2021 Slam Dunk Contest, which was held during halftime of Sunday's All-Star Game.

Stanley went first in the competition and threw down an impressive slam on his first attempt. After lobbing the ball up in the air, he caught it off the bounce with his right hand and went between his legs for a left-handed slam.

The Pacers rookie looked like he expected a perfect score of 50 from the judges, but he only received a 44. That put him in third place entering the second round, after Knicks forward Obi Toppin was given a 48 and Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons received a 46.

"I think my dunk was pretty good," Stanley said after the competition. "The judges thought it was the lowest dunk of the round, so that is what it is. It's an opinionated thing."

In the second round, Stanley originally appeared to be attempting a dunk where he put it under both legs, but couldn't complete the transfer on two attempts. He then changed course and tried a simpler lob into a one-hand tomahawk dunk, which he missed once before completing on the second try.

The judges gave Stanley a 37 for his second dunk, preventing him from advancing to the finals. He declined to reveal what dunk he had planned for the finals in case he is invited back to compete again, but did say that Sabonis was going to be involved in his last dunk.

Simons won the contest, defeating Toppin in the finals, which was determined by a 3-2 vote from the judges' panel, with Jason Richardson, Dominique Wilkins, and Dee Brown voting for Simons while Spud Webb and Josh Smith picked Toppin as the winner.

"I want to do it again," Stanley said. "I'll do it next year. I think I know what I've got to do and what I don't have to do."

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Sabonis Wins Skills Challenge in Second All-Star Appearance

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INDIANAPOLIS – The National Basketball Association announced Tuesday that Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis and guard Cassius Stanley will participate in events during NBA All-Star 2021. Sabonis will participate in the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge and Stanley will compete in AT&T Slam Dunk on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, where the league's annual celebration of the game will take place on one night for the first time.

Sabonis, who was selected to his second consecutive NBA All-Star Game last week, will also participate in the Skills Challenge for the second straight season. He finished as the runner-up in the competition during NBA All-Star 2020. Sabonis also previously participated in NBA All-Star Weekend in 2017 and 2018 as part of the Rising Stars Challenge.

Stanley, a 6-6 rookie guard, was selected by the Pacers with the 54th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He is the 12th Pacers player to take part in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and the first since Victor Oladipo in 2018.

TNT's NBA All-Star coverage will begin Sunday, March 7 at 5:00 p.m. (ET). The Taco Bell® Skills Challenge and MTN DEW® 3-Point Contest will start at 6:30 p.m. Coverage of the 70th NBA All-Star Game will begin at 8:00 p.m., and AT&T Slam Dunk will take place at halftime.

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Sabonis, Stanley to Participate in NBA All-Star 2021 Events

INDIANAPOLIS – The National Basketball Association announced Friday that Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, March 7, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

In his fifth NBA season and fourth with the Pacers, Sabonis was named an NBA All-Star for the second consecutive season. Sabonis previously participated in his first NBA All-Star Game in 2020, and NBA All-Star Weekend in 2017 and 2018 as part of the Rising Stars Challenge.

Sabonis set a Pacers franchise record by opening the season with 16 consecutive double-doubles. He ranks second in the NBA this season overall with 24 double-doubles. Sabonis has posted three triple-doubles on the year and is now the franchise’s leader in career triple-doubles with seven.

Sabonis is the sixth player in franchise history to be selected to multiple NBA All-Star Games, joining Jermaine O’Neal (6), Reggie Miller (5), Paul George (4), Roy Hibbert (2) and Victor Oladipo (2).

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Sabonis Added to 2021 NBA All-Star Game

The Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and the Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant continue to lead their respective conferences in the second fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&T.  The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and the Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal join James and Durant as leaders at their respective position groups.

Please see below for the top 10 vote getters for each position group in both conferences. Voting ends on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 11:59 PM ET.

VOTE PACERS: Fill Out Your All-Star Ballot at Pacers.com/Vote »

NBA ALL-STAR VOTING 2021: SECOND FAN RETURNS

Frontcourt
1. Kevin Durant (BKN) 4,234,433
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 3,282,478
3. Joel Embiid (PHI) 3,022,105
4. Jayson Tatum (BOS) 1,680,780
5. Jimmy Butler (MIA) 662,691
6. Bam Adebayo (MIA) 578,133
7. Domantas Sabonis (IND) 397,711
8. Julius Randle (NYK) 387,144
9. Gordon Hayward (BOS) 352,667
10. Jerami Grant (DET) 282,605

Guards
1. Bradley Beal (WAS) 2,528,719
2. Kyrie Irving (BKN) 2,104,130
3. James Harden (BKN) 1,829,504
4. Jaylen Brown (BOS) 1,062,888
5. Zach LaVine (CHI) 936,309
6. Trae Young (ATL) 737,126
7. Collin Sexton (CLE) 365,942
8. Derrick Rose (NYK) 342,177
9. Russell Westbrook (WAS) 339,498
10. Fred VanVleet (TOR) 255,161

Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (LAL) 4,369,533
2. Nikola Jokic (DEN) 3,006,981
3. Kawhi Leonard (LAC) 2,462,621
4. Anthony Davis (LAL) 2,329,371
5. Paul George (LAC) 1,024,233
6. Zion Williamson (NOP) 842,439
7. Andrew Wiggins (GSW) 552,661
8. Christian Wood (HOU) 525,018
9. Brandon Ingram (NOP) 433,041
10. Carmelo Anthony (POR) 346,812

Guards
1. Stephen Curry (GSW) 4,033,050
2. Luka Doncic (DAL) 2,484,552
3. Damian Lillard (POR) 2,095,157
4. Donovan Mitchell (UTA) 479,241
5. Ja Morant (MEM) 467,632
6. Devin Booker (PHX) 391,116
7. Chris Paul (PHX) 278,128
8. Klay Thompson (GSW) 225,169
9. CJ McCollum (POR) 218,160
10. Alex Caruso(LAL) 214,997

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Sabonis Seventh in Second Fan Returns for 2021 All-Star Voting

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The Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant and the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James lead their respective conferences in the first fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&T.  The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and the Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal join Durant and James as the leaders at their respective position groups.

Please see below for the top 10 vote getters for each position group in both conferences. The next fan voting update will be shared on Thursday, Feb. 11.

NBA ALL-STAR VOTING 2021: FIRST FAN RETURNS

Frontcourt
1. Kevin Durant (BKN) 2,302,705
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 1,752,185
3. Joel Embiid (PHI) 1,584,028
4. Jayson Tatum (BOS) 822,151
5. Jimmy Butler (MIA) 327,929
6. Bam Adebayo (MIA) 307,498
7. Domantas Sabonis (IND) 186,275
8. Julius Randle (NYK) 175,325
9. Gordon Hayward (BOS) 159,767
10. Jerami Grant (DET) 134,487

Guards
1. Bradley Beal (WAS) 1,273,817
2. Kyrie Irving (BKN) 1,093,611
3. James Harden (BKN) 1,014,763
4. Jaylen Brown (BOS) 590,195
5. Zach LaVine (CHI) 486,547
6. Trae Young (ATL) 368,126
7. Collin Sexton (CLE) 207,218
8. Derrick Rose (DET) 183,899
9. Russell Westbrook (WAS) 137,641
10. Ben Simmons (PHI) 117,993

Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (LAL) 2,288,676
2. Nikola Jokic (DEN) 1,477,975
3. Kawhi Leonard (LAC) 1,285,777
4. Anthony Davis (LAL) 1,192,881
5. Paul George (LAC) 549,280
6. Zion Williamson (NOP) 411,668
7. Andrew Wiggins (GSW) 264,781
8. Christian Wood (HOU) 261,009
9. Brandon Ingram (NOP) 230,387
10. Carmelo Anthony (POR) 179,310

Guards
1. Stephen Curry (GSW) 2,113,178
2. Luka Doncic (DAL) 1,395,719
3. Damian Lillard (POR) 998,853
4. Ja Morant (MEM) 257,743
5. Donovan Mitchell (UTA) 236,850
6. Devin Booker (PHX) 173,755
7. Chris Paul (PHX) 128,127
8. CJ McCollum (POR) 104,965
9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(OKC) 99,296
10. Klay Thompson (GSW) 99,094

2021 All‑Star Game