SAN FRANCISCO: The hometown hero Stephen Curry scored 12 points to help Shaq's OGs defeat Chuck's Global Stars to win the first All-Star mini-tournament in NBA history on Monday (IST).
Jayson Tatum led Shaqs OGs with 15 points and three rebounds as Curry totaled 12 points and four rebounds. Victor Wembanyama led Chucks Global Stars with 11 points and three rebounds in the final game.
Curry scored the first points of the final on a 3-pointer and later hit from half court, running down to chest bump rapper Mistah Fab along one baseline. He helped Shaq’s OGs beat Chuck’s Global Stars 41-25 on Sunday, scoring 12 points on four 3-pointers on his way to the Kobe Bryant Award as NBA All-Star Game MVP.
For the first time, the NBA All-Star Game featured a mini-tournament with four teams and three games. Two teams met in one semifinal (Game 1), and the remaining two teams will met in the other semifinal (Game 2).
The winning teams from Game 1 and Game 2 advanced to face each other in the championship (Game 3). For each game, the winner was the first team to reach or surpass 40 points.
Global Stars and Young Stars locked horns in Game 1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points, including the clinching basket, and Chuck’s Global Stars advanced to the title game by beating Kenny’s Young Stars.
Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns each had six points for the Global Stars. Darius Garland, Tyler Herro and Evan Mobley each had six points for the Young Stars.
Shaq’s OGs and Candace’s Rising Stars were in Game 2 where Damian Lillard scored nine points, including the 3-pointer to push his team past the target score, and the OGs survived.
The Rising Stars — a team of first- and second-year players — weren’t an easy out against a roster with a combined 86 All-Star appearances and 2.7 billion USD in on-court earnings. There were nine lead changes and five ties.
Curry scored eight points for the OGs, while Dalton Knecht and Ryan Dunn each had eight for the Rising Stars.