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NBA All-Star Game Breaches Historic Scoring Milestone

FEB 19 2024·Updated FEB 22 2024

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Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Entertainment via Getty Images

The Facts

The NBA All-Star Game saw the first team in league history to score 200 or more points in a single game as the Eastern Conference took down the Western Conference in Sunday’s battle.
CNN
The typically high-scoring event ended with the East winning 211 to 186 and Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks taking home the game's Most Valuable Player award MVP.
ESPN.com
NBA All-Star, which also features events such as the Rising Stars game, slam dunk contest, and the celebrity All-Star game, took place in Indianapolis. The hometown crowd was upset when Lillard won MVP over the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, who scored 32 points compared to Lillard’s 39.
USA Today
In addition to setting the record for points in a game, the Eastern Conference squad set the record for most 3-pointers attempted in a match (97) while both squads combined for a record 66 made 3s and 168 attempted.
US News & World Report
The wild-scoring exhibition game has long been criticized for a lack of competition and defense, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver went on record saying that he wants to restore the importance and competitiveness of the contest.
FOX News

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

For many years the NBA All-Star Game has been essentially unwatchable, but Sunday’s debacle took the event to a new level. With an absurd 97 3-pointers attempted, it's clear that none of the players care one iota about the game. Careening through the historic 200-point barrier is unacceptable. Adam Silver has tried many different twists to reignite the exhibition game, but after this performance, this event can't be saved.

CBS News

Narrative B

Amid the controversy, the NBA All-Star Game saw history be made, and the exhibition was filled with highlights and fascinating moments. Obviously, the match doesn't have the same fire as a normal game, but the beauty of the All-Star Game is showcasing the league's brightest stars all on one stage. At the end of the day, a historic record fell — All-Star Weekend is about fun, and the contest is filled with it.

NBA