Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum on Sunday combined for 27 points as Shaquille O’Neal’s “Team Shaq” cruised to victory in the new-look NBA All-Star game in San Francisco.
Curry, playing on his home court at Golden State’s Chase Center, reeled off a string of trademark three-pointers to help his star-studded lineup coast to a 41-25 victory over Charles Barkley’s “Team Chuck.”
Boston Celtics star Tatum finished with 15 points after delivering a dominant performance in a starting lineup that also included Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and James Harden.
Photo: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Team Shaq’s preparations for the game had been dealt a blow shortly before tip-off when Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James withdrew from the lineup, citing a nagging foot and ankle injury, but even without the 40-year-old, the veteran lineup was always in control against opponents spearheaded by Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell.
Curry was named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, the second time he has achieved the accolade after winning the honor in 2022.
“It’s a celebration of a lot of great things — to be able to play with these guys for as long as we have,” Curry said after being handed his award.
“It’s our responsibility to come out and put on a show, and I thank them for helping me do that,” Curry added, gesturing to his teammates.
The NBA opted to shake up the format for this year’s All-Star game after mounting criticism of the annual celebration as being a meaningless exhibition game lacking in competitive edge.
The old Eastern Conference v Western Conference format was scrapped in favor of a four-team mini tournament, with each team managed by basketball greats O’Neal, Barkley, Kenny Smith and Candace Parker. Each game was played on a first-to-40 basis rather than in the conventional four-quarter format, but this year’s new format failed to impress everyone.
Curry’s Golden State teammate Draymond Green — working as a television analyst — lambasted the competition during Sunday’s broadcast.
“You work all year to be an All-Star and you get to play up to 40 and then you’re done. C’mon, what are we doing? This is ridiculous,” Green said. “This sucks. It ain’t basketball.”
However, Milwaukee star Lillard voiced approval for the format after helping O’Neal’s team complete victory in the final.
“I think they were just looking for a more competitive game and trying to find ways to create that,” Lillard said. “I thought tonight was a little bit more competitive than it had been the last few years. I think that was the No. 1 thing — provide a bit of entertainment and a little bit more competitiveness on the floor, and it felt like we did that tonight.”
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
RSS