Team LeBron outscored Team Giannis 96-69 in the second half to rally in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. The 3-pointers were flowing — both teams combined for 168 attempts — highlight dunks were plentiful and the league’s best players put on yet another show in Charlotte. We’re handing out grades for every player who hit the court.
More: Sunday’s best | All-Star Saturday night grades | Rising Stars grades
Team LeBron
LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers
Forward | Grade: B+
Game stats
19 PTS | 8 REB | 4 AST | 2 BLK
Analysis
By LeBron’s high standards, this wasn’t an exceptional All-Star performance. He missed six of his seven 3-point attempts — one of them an airball from the corner — and tied as the third-leading scorer on the team that bore his name. As usual, however, James turned it on down the stretch of a close game, helping his team turn a close game into a 14-point win. His stepback 3 over Joel Embiid with 3:36 left pushed Team LeBron’s lead to eight, never to get any smaller, and James also managed to force Embiid to miss from point-blank range coming out of a timeout.
Kevin Durant
Golden State Warriors
Forward | Grade: A
Game stats
31 PTS | 10-15 FG | 6-9 3PT | 7 REB
Analysis
A worthy MVP for the second time in his Hall of Fame career, Durant was good all night and great in the fourth quarter, scoring a game-high 11 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting in the final frame. Three of those four makes were 3-pointers, including back-to-back 3s shortly after returning to the game midway through the final period. Durant also helped Team LeBron increase its defensive intensity late in the game. Besides the 3s, his best highlight was an and-1 finish high over Embiid’s long arms.
Kyrie Irving
Boston Celtics
Guard | Grade: B+
Game stats
13 PTS | 9 REB | 6 AST | 1 STL
Analysis
A reserved performance saw Irving attempt the fewest shots (12) and 3s (four) of any starter for Team LeBron, while handing out the most assists (six) of any starter as well. Like his teammates, Irving saved his best for last, setting up LeBron with an alley-oop late in the game and finishing over Stephen Curry in early offense — two plays that brought back memories of when James and Irving teamed up to lead the Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA championship.
Kawhi Leonard
Toronto Raptors
Forward | Grade: B+
Game stats
19 PTS | 5-11 3PT | 5 REB | 2 AST
Analysis
For a while, it looked like Kawhi might be the MVP if Team LeBron came back to win. Back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter gave Leonard 19 points. But he finished the game on the bench as coach Michael Malone opted for a small lineup with Durant as the only frontcourt player on the court. Leonard opened the team’s scoring with a 3 and also made a nice reverse in transition high off the glass.
James Harden
Houston Rockets
Guard | Grade: C+
Game stats
12 PTS | 4-13 3PT | 4 REB | 3 AST
Analysis
The league’s leading scorer had the fewest points (12) of any Team LeBron starter and did not attempt a single free throw or 2-pointer. Harden went just 4-of-13 beyond the arc, airballing one of them against Giannis Antetokounmpo’s defense, but did wrap things up by making a stepback 3 in the final minute. Naturally, Harden’s best pass set up a 3 as he went between the legs to feed Irving for a triple.
Anthony Davis
New Orleans Pelicans
Forward | Grade: Incomplete
Game stats
5 PTS | 2-2 FG | 1-1 3PT | 1 REB
Analysis
Dealing with a muscle contusion in his shoulder suffered in the last game before the All-Star break, Davis played only five minutes, all in the first half. That span was enough for him to knock down a rainbow 3-pointer and stop Russell Westbrook when Westbrook isolated him on the perimeter.
Klay Thompson
Golden State Warriors
Guard | Grade: A-
Game stats
20 PTS | 6-12 3PT | 8 REB | 4 AST
Analysis
Uncharacteristically, Thompson spent much of his night dribbling, hitting a pull-up 3-pointer and finding Ben Simmons for a dunk on a well-executed pick-and-roll. Of course, Thompson did plenty of shooting off assists too, knocking down a game-high-tying six 3-pointers in 12 attempts to account for 18 of his 20 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds.
Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers
Guard | Grade: B
Game stats
18 PTS | 6-17 3PT | 6 REB | 5 AST
Analysis
Dame Time briefly came to Charlotte as Lillard knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers from beyond 30 feet late in the third quarter, delighting both his teammates and the crowd. Lillard finished the game with Team LeBron’s starters but missed both of his shot attempts in the fourth quarter, finishing 6-of-17 from the field on all 3s. Lillard does deserve credit for catching rim on a 70-foot attempt at the third-quarter buzzer that few other players would have even attempted.
Ben Simmons
Philadelphia 76ers
Guard | Grade: A-
Game stats
10 PTS | 5-5 FG | 6 REB | 7 AST
Analysis
In 17 minutes off the bench, Simmons led Team LeBron with seven assists as part of a typically well-balanced stat line that also included six rebounds. Simmons made all five of his shot attempts to score 10 points, highlighted by an end-to-end dunk and a pair of his favored right-hand hooks.
LaMarcus Aldridge
San Antonio Spurs
Center | Grade: C+
Game stats
2 PTS | 1-2 FG | 4 REB | 1 AST
Analysis
In an uncertain world, Aldridge shooting midrange jumpers in the All-Star game is a constant. He knocked one down for his only score shortly after checking in, and both of Aldridge’s attempts were rare 2-point jumpers in a game with few of them.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves
Center | Grade: B
Game stats
11 PTS | 5-7 FG | 3 REB | 1 AST
Analysis
Town’s five-of-seven shooting included a powerful dunk in transition, as well as flying in to follow a Leonard 3-point miss with an accurate tip.
Bradley Beal
Washington Wizards
Guard | Grade: B-
Game stats
11 PTS | 4-11 FG | 3-10 3PT | 3 AST
Analysis
Scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting at halftime, Beal ditched his headband and scored all 11 of his points in as many minutes in the second half. Beal knocked down three 3-pointers, one of them when he was fading out of bounds, and had a strong two-hand dunk he punctuated by hanging on the rim.
Dwyane Wade
Miami Heat
Guard | Grade: A
Game stats
7 PTS | 2-4 FG | 2 REB | 4 AST
Analysis
The last All-Star dance for Wade started ignominiously, as he missed a layup on his first shot attempt. Thereafter, though, Wade provided plenty of alley-oop highlights — handing out three of them, one to LeBron, and receiving the favor from James on a dunk that prompted the PA announcer to say “That looks familiar.”
Team Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks
Forward | Grade: A
Game stats
38 PTS | 17-23 FG | 11 REB | 5 AST
Analysis
Had his team won, Giannis would have been an easy MVP pick. Getting set up by teammates starting with a Kemba Walker feed on the opening possession, Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 38 points on 17-of-23 shooting — including 10 dunks. Giannis also grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out five assists, though one attempted assist was disallowed. He tried to lob the ball to himself off the rim on a free throw, which is wildly illegal but well within the spirit of the All-Star Game.
Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors
Guard | Grade: C
Game stats
17 PTS | 4-17 3PT | 9 REB | 7 AST
Analysis
Curry’s All-Star homecoming was more miss than hit, though it delivered some of the night’s biggest highlights. Curry shot just 4-of-17 on 3s and needed 23 total attempts to score 17 points — not the typical accuracy or efficiency we associate with perhaps the greatest shooter in NBA history. But Curry delivered the night’s best pass among his seven assists, bouncing the ball high off the ground so Antetokounmpo could dunk it home. Later, he playfully taunted Warriors teammate Klay Thompson after making a 3 while being fouled by Thompson for a 4-point play. And Curry closed the night by throwing the ball up to himself for a two-hand reverse dunk, the likes of which we’ll surely never see in the regular season.
Joel Embiid
Philadelphia 76ers
Center | Grade: B-
Game stats
10 PTS | 4-12 FG | 12 REB | 1 AST
Analysis
As the biggest player on the court by far in the closing stages of the game, Embiid was unable to take advantage, turning the ball over and missing twice at the rim in the final five minutes. He finished the night just 4-of-12 from the field but did pull down a game-high 12 rebounds and became possibly the first 7-footer in All-Star history to successfully execute a Eurostep.
Paul George
Oklahoma City Thunder
Forward | Grade: A-
Game stats
20 PTS | 6-12 3PT | 4 AST | 3 STL
Analysis
Making his first All-Star start, George showcased his development into a more prolific 3-point shooter off the dribble. Of George’s 14 shot attempts, 12 were 3s, and he made an even half of them to score 20 points. George’s only 2-pointer was memorable — a reverse 360 dunk in transition. George also had a game-high three steals, including intercepting an attempt by Irving to go behind the back.
Kemba Walker
Charlotte Hornets
Guard | Grade: B
Game stats
4 PTS | 2-8 FG | 0-5 3PT | 8 AST
Analysis
The lone representative of the home team in Charlotte was more playmaker than scorer in his start, handing out a game-high eight assists, including a feed to a cutting Giannis for an and-1. Walker missed all five of his 3-point attempts, including a stepback 3 at the first-half buzzer the crowd tried to will in the basket. But he bounced back to start the second half with a steal he converted into a layup.
Khris Middleton
Milwaukee Bucks
Forward | Grade: A-
Game stats
20 PTS | 7-13 FG | 6-10 3PT | 5 REB
Analysis
No doubt benefitting from playing for his Milwaukee teammate and coach Mike Budenholzer, Middleton played the most minutes of any Team Giannis reserve (22). But the first-time All-Star proved right at home, making three consecutive 3s shortly after checking in and finding Antetokounmpo for an alley-oop. Middleton finished 6-of-10 behind the arc, scoring 20 points and handing out four assists.
Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets
Center | Grade: B
Game stats
6 PTS | 3-4 FG | 9 REB
Analysis
In a game that often highlights athleticism, Jokic managed to be effective without needing or bothering to jump. Using his long arms, Jokic pulled down nine rebounds in 13 minutes of action, including tipping in a Russell Westbrook miss from the ground for two of his six points.
Russell Westbrook
Oklahoma City Thunder
Guard | Grade: C+
Game stats
17 PTS | 8-20 | 1-8 3PT | 4 REB
Analysis
Westbrook’s struggles from 3-point range carried over to the All-Star Game, when he missed seven of his eight attempts from beyond the arc. Westbrook had a tough time close to the basket early on too, botching a pair of layups. But he powered through to shoot 5-of-7 inside the arc in the second half. Westbrook also made a very All-Star move by passing up a sure layup to find George in the corner for a 3.
Blake Griffin
Detroit Pistons
Forward | Grade: B
Game stats
10 PTS | 4-8 FG | 6 REB | 3 AST
Analysis
Playing his first All-Star Game in five years (he was selected but unable to participate in 2015), Griffin had a well-rounded performance with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. The lowlight for Griffin was getting his shot blocked by Leonard in the paint.
D’Angelo Russell
Brooklyn Nets
Guard | Grade: B-
Game stats
6 PTS | 2-5 3PT | 1 REB | 3 AST
Analysis
All five of Russell’s shot attempts in 12 minutes of action were 3s, and he hit a pair of them. Unfortunately, Russell’s miss was ugly, as he forced a stepback over the much taller Towns and was unable to catch any rim.
Nikola Vucevic
Orlando Magic
Center | Grade: B
Game stats
4 PTS | 2-2 FG | 5 REB | 2 AST
Analysis
A workmanlike performance saw Vucevic nail both of his shot attempts (one of them a sweeping hook) and pull down five rebounds while handing out two assists in 12 minutes.
Kyle Lowry
Toronto Raptors
Guard | Grade: C+
Game stats
3 PTS | 1-5 FG | 3 REB | 3 AST
Analysis
Lowry missed four of his five shot attempts (four of them 3s) but handed out three assists in his appearance off the bench, highlighted by finding Griffin for an alley-oop dunk on a give-and-go.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dallas Mavericks
Forward | Grade: A
Game stats
9 PTS | 3-3 3PT
Analysis
Nowitzki made the most of the four minutes he played during what will surely be his last All-Star appearance, throwing it back to get up three high-arcing shots from downtown. He made all of them to score nine points, thrilling a crowd paying honor to Nowitzki and Wade as two of the game’s greats.
Source:ESPN
