February 19, (THEWILL) – A scintillating shooting display saw the Eastern Conference completely decimate the Western Conference in a record-breaking 211-186 victory at the 73rd NBA All-Star Game. Led by Damian Lillard’s 39 points, the East smashed the previous one-team All-Star scoring record of 196 points, scoring at will against their Western rivals.
Lillard was joined in his hot shooting by teammates Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Haliburton, who contributed 36 and 32 points respectively off the bench. Their combined scoring display was a key factor in the rampant offence that the East put in, which ended up making 42 3-pointers at over 43% accuracy. “Once we came out in the third and we made a lot of shots, it was like what’s the record,” commented Lillard on the East’s mindset. “We found out and we went after it.”
The 397 total points scored also represented a new All-Star Game record, surpassing the old mark by 23 points. While Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns tried valiantly for the West with 50 points, 31 of them coming in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the only other Western player to make a real impact with his 31 points.
For Lillard, who also sank two half-court shots on his way to making 11 3-pointers overall, his shooting exhibition saw him rewarded with the Most Valuable Player award for the game. “It’s an honour,” remarked the eight-time All-Star on claiming the accolade. “I’ve been here a few times so to be able to have this kind of accomplishment is special.”
The All-Star Game demonstrated the premier talent of the NBA in a relaxed fashion for fans, with many highlight reel dunks, passes and shots delighting the sell-out crowd. “Everybody played hard. We had fun,” said East captain Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 23 points himself in the winning effort. “The ball was moving. We made a lot of threes. We scored a lot of points. I’m happy.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
