INDIANAPOLIS — The names on the trophies didn’t change from yr to yr in both of the NBA’s primary contests on All-Star Saturday Night time.
Mac McClung, the G League journeyman who shocked the world along with his dunk contest win in Salt Lake Metropolis final February, did it once more in Indianapolis, beating Jaylen Brown by leaping over 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal within the closing spherical for an ideal 50 from the judges.
And within the 3-point contest earlier, Damian Lillard hit the final moneyball on his final rack to edge Trae Younger for his second-consecutive win within the occasion.
McClung, 25, who has performed a complete of 4 NBA video games in his profession, received a contest that featured a second G Leaguer — Jacob Toppin, the brother of 2022 NBA dunk champion Obi Toppin. McClung, who additionally jumped over two individuals for a dunk, and dropped the ball whereas hovering to the rim earlier than re-catching it and slamming it for an additional, put his highschool jersey on Shaq’s large body, leaped over him and completed a reverse slam.
HE’S DONE IT AGAIN 🤯
Mac McClung is the back-to-back #ATTSlamDunk champion ‼️
Straight 5⃣0⃣’s#StateFarmSaturday on TNT pic.twitter.com/p2sBx7h2IM
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
“Shaq was so cool to place my highschool jersey on,” McClung mentioned. “Man, that just about makes you emotional that he would try this. I instructed him, ‘Nicely, you set it on.’ And he mentioned, ‘You higher not miss a dunk.’ I used to be like, ‘All proper, I received’t miss it.’”
The 2 present NBA gamers within the dunk contest didn’t fare so properly. Miami Warmth rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. was the primary participant eradicated, whereas Brown, an All-Star for the Boston Celtics, was booed after practically each dunk in an obvious signal from followers that they felt his scores have been too excessive for the dunks he executed, particularly when in comparison with McClung.
Brown, the primary All-Star to take part within the dunk contest in years, put “stress” on McClung along with his closing dunk by placing a Mickey Mouse-sized glove on his left hand, then leaping and taking a ball off somebody’s head with that gloved hand and dunking it.
With the left 👋🏾 pic.twitter.com/CvnPt23UVU
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 18, 2024
“I believe in the end (in) this media period, some gamers are afraid to make it right into a meme or something like that,” Brown mentioned. “Like I wished to return out and have enjoyable with it, and that’s what I did.”
McClung, who now performs for the Orlando Magic’s G League affiliate, is the primary back-to-back dunk winner since Zach LaVine in 2015 and 2016. McClung, LaVine, Nate Robinson, Jason Richardson and Michael Jordan are the one gamers to win consecutive dunk contests.
“That is my story, and I’m embracing it,” McClung mentioned.
Lillard is the primary back-to-back 3-point champion since Jason Kapono in 2007 and 2008 and joined Kapono, Larry Hen, Craig Hodges, Mark Value, Jeff Hornacek and Peja Stojakovic as winners of the 3-point contest in consecutive years.
He edged Younger and 2022 NBA 3-point winner Karl-Anthony Cities within the finals, additionally persevering via a four-way tiebreaker wherein the three finalists and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, needed to shoot for 30 seconds (regular rounds are 70 seconds) to advance out of the primary spherical.
Cities went first within the finals and scored a 22. Younger beat him with 24, and Lillard was caught on 24 on his closing rack till that final shot.
DAMIAN LILLARD’S 26 POINTS MAKE HIM THE BACK-TO-BACK #Starry3PT CHAMPION!
His final shot is the winner… due to course ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/OqcHpurcfE
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
“I knew, as soon as I acquired to that three-point ball, the deep one, I may win it if I knock these down and simply give myself a bonus going into my bonus rack proper there earlier than that final one,” Lillard mentioned. “So I knew I had a great likelihood.
“After I acquired to the ultimate rack, I didn’t know my precise rating, however after I missed a pair, I heard the group simply oohing and aahing. As soon as they stored doing it time and again, I knew I used to be nonetheless alive as a result of I knew they’d have stopped if it had been over for me. The following two balls, I missed once more, after which I grabbed the following one and I knew I wanted that to win.”
Sandwiched between the 3-point and dunk contests was the historical past shootaround between Stephen Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, received by Curry. The annual All-Star Saturday came about on a model new, forgiving, LED glass courtroom developed by German firm ASB GlassFloor, put in at Lucas Oil soccer stadium for All-Star Weekend. The ground modified colours, graphics and messages all through the evening.
STEPHEN vs. SABRINA WAS A MOVIE.
Sabrina Ionescu opened on fireplace and dropped 26… earlier than Stephen Curry got here via within the clutch to win it with 29!
Get pleasure from. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Sz104f95FZ
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
The Pacers’ trio of Haliburton, Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin — MVP for the Rising Stars Recreation on Friday evening — received the annual expertise problem, rising victorious in particular person rounds of an impediment course, passing contest and capturing competitors. Haliburton, who would later lose the tiebreaker to get into the ultimate spherical of the 3-point competitors, drained a halfcourt shot in a expertise problem tiebreaker to clinch it for the Indiana Pacers.
“It’s residence cookin’, holding it down,” Turner mentioned.
Tyrese Haliburton hit the halfcourt shot to win the Expertise Problem after which hit them with the Reggie choke signal 😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/TN0QoIYQYB
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 18, 2024
GO DEEPER
Kenny Smith’s Sabrina Ionescu feedback spoiled an in any other case nice 3-point contest second
Required studying
(Picture: Stacy Revere / Getty Photos)
