Defense, as usual in the All-Star Game, was optional.
The Eastern All-Stars cruised to a 211-186 victory over the West in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game Sunday night in Indianapolis, Ind.
It was a contest predictably permeated with little defensive intensity and inflated scoring.
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Let's delve into the showcase further with five winners and losers:
WINNER: Damian Lillard, East
Lillard won two awards over All-Star Weekend. He repeated as the 3-point contest champion, then secured All-Star Game MVP. The 33-year-old recorded 39 points and six assists while shooting 14 of 26 overall and 11 of 23 from deep. He even drilled two half-court shots, including one to end the game.
LOSER: Western shooting
The West was packed with future Hall of Famers and current rising stars, but they didn't show the effort. LeBron James went 0 of 3 from deep, Luka Doncic 1 of 6, Karl-Anthony Towns 4 of 13, Stephen Curry 4 of 13 and Devin Booker 1 of 7.
Only Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stood out with 31 points on an efficient 12 of 16 shooting overall and 7 of 10 from deep. Towns posted 50 points but most came on uncontested dunks.
WINNER: Tyrese Haliburton, East
Haliburton put on a show for the home crowd. The Indiana Pacer started the game on fire, hitting five straight threes. He ended the game scoring 32 points on an efficient 11 of 15 shooting overall and 10 of 14 from long range, including seven rebounds and six assists. He didn't win MVP but definitely deserved a shout.
LOSER: The All-Star Game itself
When the world's best basketball players come together and produce an outcome like this, you have to wonder what's the point. Of course, the annual game has been like this for years. But at least, for example, tweaks like the Elam ending added some intrigue.
Instead, stars like Doncic and Nikola Jokic openly made it known they didn't care too much about the game, which showed on the floor.
The product will continue to be the same unless there are serious revamps to improve the quality, similar to how the NFL sought and made changes to the Pro Bowl.
WINNER: Record scoring
The Western Conference posted 196 points in 2016, a record for most points by a team in the All-Star Game. That's now a record of the past, as the 2024 Eastern team eclipsed it quite seamlessly.
The Eastern squad dropped 211 points, hitting 83 of 146 shots overall (56.8%) and 42 of 97 3-pointers (43.3%). The team only attempted four free throws and made three.