Giannis Antetokounmpo’s All-Star experience was perfect on the court Sunday night.
Then he improved even as he angled for a special invitation to his one-year-old son, Liam, afterward.
Antetokounmpo made all 16 of his shots in a historic 35-point performance that drove Team LeBron to a 170-150 victory over Team Durant in the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.
After winning the 3 Point Competition earlier, Stephen Curry combined with Damian Lillard for a 16-point 3-pointer and 60 points for Team LeBron, who won each of the first three quarters en route to a 146-125 lead and a massage to the winning margin.
Each team lost a player when it was announced earlier in the day that Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would not be allowed to participate due to COVID tracking. Everyone had a hair cut on Saturday from a barber who subsequently tested positive.
Twenty-year-old Zion Williamson replaced Embiid in the Team Durant starting lineup, becoming the fourth youngest starter in NBA history. Durant also did not play in the game due to a hamstring injury.
The win was the fourth in a row for the team selected by LeBron James under a listed roster on the roster starting in 2018. James played just 13 minutes in the first half before sitting out the entire second half with the game relatively in hand.
Antetokounmpo’s 16-for-16 game doubled the previous All-Star record of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Hal Greer, who made all eight of his shots in the 1968 in-season classic.
For his effort, Antetokounmpo, who was a 3-for-3 on a 3-pointer, was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the game.
The Milwaukee Bucks star was so hot he even banked in a pair of 3-point tips.
“(The bank,) it’s usually closed, but not for me,” joked Antetokounmpo over the arena’s PA system while receiving the MVP trophy in the middle court. “For me, it was open with extended hours. I called ahead. ”
All of Antetokounmpo’s shots came in the first three quarters, after which he acknowledged that he was informed by Team LeBron teammate Nikola Vucevic that he had a 16-for-16 night going. He wanted more though, but decided not to push it, he later admitted.
“I wasn’t afraid to shoot any more. I wanted to shoot more shots, but Lady (Lillard) was on fire, ”he observed. “I told Lady we all had to go out of her way, and that’s what we did.”
Lillard and Curry connected earlier from just inside the halfcourt line in a long-range shooting display that even the game’s MVP was in awe of.
“These two men, the distance they can shoot all three, are unbelievable,” Antetokounmpo gushed. “I told my son: I’m going to send him to (Lillard’s) summer camp so he can shoot like Dame. He’s going to get the skills; he’s going to be still like me. I want him to shoot Dame way. ”
Down 146-125 after three periods, the closest Team Durant got in the fourth quarter was 15.
Team LeBron kicked off the game with a 27-8 lead over the final 3:54 of the second quarter.
Lillard contributed 11 points, Curry seven, Antetokounmpo five and Chris Paul four to go with five assists as they made all the scoring in a burst that turned a one-point lead into a 100-80 halftime advantage.
Lillard finished with 32 points, Curry 28, Jaylen Brown 22 and Paul George 17 for Team LeBron. Paul added team highlights while assisting with 16 and rebounding with eight.
“They make the game way easier for everyone else to play,” Antetokounmpo said of Curry and Lillard. “You enjoy every minute when you play with those guys.”
Bradley Beal had 26 points to pace Team Durant.
Kyrie Irving had 24 points and 12 assists in the losing effort, while James Harden and Jayson Tatum chipped in with 21 points each, Donovan Mitchell 15 and Zach LaVine 13.
Kawhi Leonard was Team Durant’s leading rebounder with nine to add eight points and eight assists.
—Field Media Media