The two kids from Akron stole the show at the All-Star Game.
Stephen Curry put on a shooting clinic all evening, hitting 16 3-pointers and scoring 50 points, while LeBron James hit an absurd, one-legged jumper to seal the victory for Team LeBron over Team Durant 163-160.
On a night when the NBA honored its 75 greatest players, two of them, Curry and James, put on displays worthy of the occasion.
Curry was named the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player for the first time in his illustrious career.
After setting the first-half record with eight treys, Curry brought the crowd, which had loudly booed the Golden State Warriors star before the game, to its feet when he nailed five straight 3-pointers early in the third quarter.
He then hit his 15th 3, more than anyone has ever made in any NBA game, at the end of a passing sequence that saw him pass it to James, who threw it to Jokic, who then swung it. Curry let it fly, and he fully turned around to celebrate as the ball softly fell through the net.
During the next timeout, Curry asked if someone could tell him what the record was for points.
Curry missed a couple of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that would have made him the all-time leader in points in a game, but James ended the contest with a dagger.
The exploits came after they took part in the NBA's 75th anniversary celebration, as the league honored the 75 greatest players in its history. A large group picture of those in attendance was taken inside the arena before the game started.
They were honored during halftime with a ceremony that was emceed by Spike Lee and included a video narrated by Forrest Whitaker and then saw every player honored by position. Michael Jordan drew the biggest cheer of the night.
The Elam Ending, which was used in Chicago two years ago, brought the same level of intensity and competition to the final moments this year that it did in its debut.
After the two teams played each of the first three quarters for charity -- with the winner of each individual quarter earning $100,000 for its respective charity -- the fourth quarter was played.
During introductions, it was no surprise that James, who grew up in Ohio and has played in the NBA for 18 years, received a huge cheer from the crowd and raised his arms in the air.
It was expected that the two Golden State stars honored Sunday night, Curry and Green, would be booed by the crowd after they lost to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
Luka Doncic scored the final six points of the first quarter as Team LeBron won the first quarter 47-45. Despite a record-setting eight first-half 3-pointers from Stephen Curry, Team KD came back and won the second quarter 49-46 to take a 94-93 halftime lead. The two teams were tied in the third quarter thanks to a defensive play by Antetokounmpo.
The target score was 163 points, 24 more than the total from the team leading after three, in a nod to the late Kobe Bryant, and setting up James' final heroics.
For the second year in a row, Kevin Durant was unable to play in the game due to an injured left knee. After the death of his grandmother, KD was not able to attend the game. LaMelo Ball, Dejounte Murray, and Jarrett Allen were the replacements for Green and Harden, who missed the game due to injury.
Just a couple of hours before tip on Sunday, Mitchell announced that he too wouldn't play due to an upper respiratory illness that kept him from participating in anything on Saturday and the All-Star Game itself. Chris Paul will be out for at least six to eight weeks after he broke his thumb in the win over Houston. Paul missed his only shot in the first quarter and sat down for the rest of the game, but he played for a little more than two minutes in the first quarter.
Since the NBA went away from the traditional East-West format of the All-Star Game in the summer of 2018, Team LeBron has improved to a perfect 5.
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