Another All-Star game is in the books and we’ll take you through the highs and lows of the contest.
Despite being underdogs, the East showed out and scored the most points in All-Star history, after securing a 211-186 win over the West team.
Everyone starting in the East team was under 26 years of age, except for 33-year-old Damian Lillard.
He let his age and experience show by dropping 39 points, six assists and 11 threes in his team’s absurdly large win.
*Dame Lillard wins the #3ptcontest and shoots lights out from 3 during the All-Star game. *
Doc Rivers, on the bench:#NBAAllStar2024 pic.twitter.com/Abmf0V0mt2
— Dennis Nguyen (@pastorpapi23) February 19, 2024
Dame shot not one, but TWO shots from the logo and made them both, which helped him earn his first All-Star MVP honors.
DAME WITH THE 54 FOOTER! 🤯
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/mtz7ZFXHLt
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) February 19, 2024
As for the West team, Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 50 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Though this could be argued as stat padding by KAT, and some fans may think this counts as a low.
KAT in the ASG while everyone else isn’t trying #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/u3YbMTPfb4
— NickX (@NickXGOG) February 19, 2024
Let’s get to some more lows.
All-Star games are looking increasingly like a training run.
Larry Bird called out the players before the game and urged them to take the game seriously.
“The one thing I would really like to see is they play hard tonight in this All-Star Game,” Bird said. “I think it’s very important when you have the best players in the world together, you’ve gotta compete, and you’ve gotta play hard, and you’ve gotta show the fans how good they really are.”
Spoiler alert, they didn’t play hard.
The lack of effort is showcased by the declining amount of fouls in All-Star games throughout the years.
In the 1993 game there were 62 fouls called, in 2003 there were 37, in 2023 there were seven fouls called and in Sunday’s game there were just three fouls called throughout the whole game.
Fans’ reactions to the game said it all.
One fan on X / Twitter put it perfectly, “Haven’t watched the NBA in like a decade, so I figured I’d check in since it’s on Max….
“Wtf has happened to the NBA? This is by far the worst #NBAAllStar2024 game I’ve seen. Nobody playing defense, players lollygagging up and down the court… This sh*t is trash”
Others had much the same reaction.
I think I’m officially an old man. The All-Star game is absolute trash. #NBAAllStar2024 pic.twitter.com/8bVdRiS35z
— Beau J Van Beek (@bjvanbeek) February 19, 2024
the All-Star game is becoming the NFL Pro Bowl…this is absolutely terrible…#NBAAllStar2024 pic.twitter.com/kmPEPA6s8y
— the HOLY GOOF △⃒⃘ (@pezdspencer_) February 19, 2024
Any sporting event that lacks competition & pride won’t get eye balls.
The current NBA All Star product is trash.
They almost figured it out a few years ago but reverted back to forgetting the fans.
This is the last time the NBA All Star game mattered. 👇🏽#NBAAllStar2024 pic.twitter.com/hvurbHlHX4
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) February 19, 2024
The NBA is very lucky that WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu and G-League player Mac MaClung saved the weekend.
READ MORE: Sabrina Ionescu Teases New Format For 2025 3-Point Comp v Steph