Team Giannis beat Team LeBron at the home of the Utah Jazz, making Knicks Julius Randle and the rest of the team cry.
Randle played in the All-Star Game for the LA Lakers with the New York Knicks in 2023. He scored 11 points, but that wasn’t nearly enough to beat Jayson Tatum’s record-setting game for the other team (Boston). Tatum scored 55 points in the All-Star Game, which was a new record. He helped Giannis Antetokounmpo’s (Milwaukee) team beat the other team, 184-175, and win the game.
Randle was the first Knick to score 10 or more points in a losing All-Star Game since Carmelo Anthony did it in 2017. In the days before the Salt Lake City game, the NBA player with the most points of all time listened to Randle’s request to play with his good friend Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers and a teammate, James.
James was upset that Randle’s quick, but understandably fruitless, effort in Saturday’s 3-point duel seemed to give his team hope. Team LeBron had a lot of chances to score from long range, but they only made 17 of 60 shots (.400) because the exhibition lived up to its reputation as a defense-free game. Team Giannis made 29 of 66 free throws as a group, and Tatum scored most of his points from beyond the arc (sinking 10 to match his rebound total). As Portland’s Damian Lillard made his eighth and final 3-pointer of the night to win the 3-Point Contest, Antetokounmpo’s team had already passed the goal score of 182.
Randle was a bright spot on Team LeBron, even though he shared the team’s many problems (1-of-5 shooting). He was one of four players on James’ bench to score in the double digits, and his plus/minus of nine was the same as Tyrese Haliburton’s (Indiana). Randle was an All-Star for the first time last year. He played for the Knicks in Atlanta.
Due to an illness, Antetokounmpo could only coach the team from the bench and play for less than a minute. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) and Kyrie Irving (Dallas) both scored 32 points, and Jaylen Brown (Boston) led the James group with 35 points.
In 2024, the NBA All-Star Game will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which is the home of the Indiana Pacers.
Randle is back with the Knicks for an exciting 22-game stretch leading up to the playoffs, which starts this Friday in Washington (7 p.m. ET, MSG). At the moment, New York (33-27) has the sixth and last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs that is guaranteed.