Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey on Sunday sparked the USA Stars over USA Stripes 47-21 in the final of the 75th NBA All-Star Game tournament.
Maxey scored nine points, while Edwards and Chet Holmgren added eight each as young Stars talent overwhelmed the veteran-laden USA Stripes in the championship game at Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
“We chose to compete today and we came out on top,” said Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard who won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award.
Photo: AFP
The Stars began the final with a 12-1 run, powered by seven points from Maxey, as the Stripes missed their first 10 shots.
The Stars later added a 15-0 run for a 33-9 advantage and the Stripes could not muster a rally.
Donovan Mitchell had six points and NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James, an All-Star for a record 22nd time, added five for the Stripes.
Instead of the usual two-team event, NBA stars played a tournament of four 12-minute games between two US sides and a World group of global talent.
Concerns about lackluster effort in past All-Star contests were eased in the new format, which produced hustle, defensive effort, plus a competitive spark and a high-energy hunger to win.
“I know a lot of people have been concerned about the All-Star Game, not seeing as much effort. Today we saw it,” said former US president Barack Obama, who was seated at courtside. “Whenever you get an international team against an American team, they want to compete — and you’ve got some young guys I think want to prove something out here.”
The World needed to beat USA Stripes in the round-robin finale to advance, but Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points, including the deciding three-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining, for a 48-45 Stripes triumph.
“I made my first one, kept on from there and they just kept falling,” said Leonard, who hit six of seven three-point shots.
Frenchman Victor Wembanyama led the World with 19 points.
In the round-robin opener, Edwards scored 13 points and Scottie Barnes sank the winning three-pointer in overtime as the USA Stars beat the World 37-35.
Wembanyama had 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks in an intense contest.
“I ain’t going to lie, Wemby set the tone,” Edwards said. “He came out hard and we had to follow that. We had to pick it up and we did that.”
A tying Edwards three-pointer forced overtime at 32-32. With the first team to score five points winning, Edwards hit a basket, Wembanyama answered with a three-pointer and Barnes made the winner.
“Once it got a little tight, the competition picked up, guys wanted to win,” the World’s Norman Powell said. “We were going to compete every single possession.”
Game 2 saw more drama when De’Aaron Fox sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to give USA Stripes a 42-40 triumph over USA Stars.
An Edwards three-pointer gave the Stars a 40-39 edge until Fox answered from the left wing.
“You live for these moments,” James said. “That’s a big-time play for us older heads... We know how to keep our heads and execute.”
Jaylen Brown scored 11 points and James added eight to lead the Stripes, while Edwards and Cade Cunningham led the Stars with 11 points each.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
The Detroit Tigers’ Lee Hao-yu on Monday collected his first and second MLB hits in their 8-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers’ No. 6 prospect, who batted eighth, had an RBI single and a double in four at-bats at Fenway Park, raising his batting average to .182. “He was super thrilled to get his first hit,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after the game. “There’s only one first, you know, and for him, it’s been a couple of games where he’s really been wanting to do it. I’m glad he did it here.” “Young guys settle in when they start
RSS