SALT LAKE CITY — Team Giannis bested Team LeBron, 184-175, in a high-scoring, exciting 2023 NBA All-Star Game Sunday night at a full-house Vivint Arena.
With team captain Giannis Antetokounmpo injured, playing only one sequence early in the game before exiting with a wrist injury, Boston Celtics sensation Jayson Tatum carried the load with 55 points on 22-of-31 shooting from the field including 10-of-18 from 3.
Tatum’s double nickel was the most points scored in the history of the mid-season showcase.
“I found out midway through the fourth (about the record) I think I had like 49 and Dame was like ‘Yo, the record’s 52’ He was like. Go get it” Tatum said of achieving the milestone.
“If you know Jayson, he’s going for it,” Jaylen Brown, Tatum’s teammate in Boston, told reporters. “And that’s what he’s supposed to do.”
Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers exploded for 40 points while Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard added 26. Hometown hero Lauri Markannen of the Utah Jazz added 13 points. Paskal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors chipped in 12.
Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving each had 32 for Team LeBron. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic combined only for eight points in limited action.
Slowed by a hand contusion, LeBron James played only for 14 minutes and settled with 13 points.
