Trae Young Records Double-Double In All-Star Debut
Sunday night's duel between Team Giannis and Team LeBron offered all of the intensity and competitiveness one could have hoped for from an NBA All-Star game, and culminated with Team LeBron edging out a 157-155 after a tense fourth quarter.
Trae Young, in his All-Star debut, tallied 10 points and 10 assists in just 16 minutes -- the fewest of starter -- with four turnovers and a pair of 3-pointers to boot. While he didn't close the game for Team Giannis (Kyle Lowry took his place with the rest of the starters), Young helped fuel a third-quarter run that helped his squad even the game and preserve a nine-point lead going into the fourth. Though Young didn't start the second half, he had an impressive third quarter that included a pair of lobs to Rudy Gobert and a nifty drive and finish past Russell Westbrook. He capped off the quarter with an alley-oop to Gobert through multiple defenders that tied the game with 2.2 seconds to play.
Young's most notable highlight of the night came at the end of the first half as he sank a running shot from halfcourt to beat the buzzer and give his team a 92-83 total-game lead.
That shot gave Team Giannis a 51-40 edge in the third quarter after dropping the first period by a 53-41 margin (the score reset after each of the first three quarters, and the winner of each period earned $100,000 for a charity of the captain's choice). After an even third period, Team Giannis held a 133-124 cumulative lead, which meant that the first team to 157 (the leader's score, plus 24) would be the winner.
The game's focus and energy picked up after halftime, not only during Young's third-quarter stint, but for the entire half. Players dialed up their defensive engagement and offensive tenacity as the pace slowed to playoff-style micromanaging of each halfcourt possession. LeBron James (23 points, six assists) was the primary orchestrator for his team, while Giannis Antetokounmpo's crew never quite found an offensive rhythm late. Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, but was held down in the final quarter (though he did have a key block on James late in the game to keep his team within a point).
Chris Paul provided a big lift off the bench for Team LeBron with 23 points and six assists on 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Kawhi Leonard captured MVP honors with a game-high 30 points -- most of which game in the first half -- on 8-of-14 3-point shooting. Kemba Walker and Joel Embiid had 23 and 22 points, respectively, for Team Giannis.
While Young's time in this year's contest was limited, the 21-year-old will likely have plenty of chances to compete in future All-Star games as he moves deeper into his career. He and Luka Dončić (age 20) were the youngest players in this year's game and should only improve as they mature into their primes. For the time being, they got a taste of what the All-Star game can look like at its best, and a standard for which to reach as they help usher in a new generation of stars.
