Team LeBron 148-145 Team Stephen
The All-Star Game was boring in previous years. It just didn’t excite sports betting fans as the best players in the world played lackadaisically in what is nothing but a glorified pickup basketball with no defence at all.
However, it all changed this year.
There was a lot more defence—stops, blocks and traps that lead to turnovers—and more intensity that undoubtedly sparked life to the live betting community.
Pre-match betting odds were tight between the two teams, but Team Stephen had the slight advantage after Team LeBron lost three of its big men due to injuries.
Nonetheless, LeBron James proved in the game that he came there to win. The All-Star Captain showed his clutch genes as he banked a finger-roll layup with 34.5 seconds left to give them a one-point lead, 146-145. James finished with a game-high 29 points and had 10 rebounds and eight assists en route to winning his third All-Star MVP honour.
Russell Westbrook, who was selected to start in place of the injured DeMarcus Cousins, scored from another layup to give Team LeBron some breathing space in the dying seconds. The Oklahoma guard ended with 11 points, eight boards and eight dimes.
Team Stephen led by as much as 15 points; however, they weren’t able to stop Team LeBron who found their rhythm in the second quarter.
Stephen Curry and James Harden had an underwhelming performance, failing to make their threes consistently. Curry did hit one of his signature three-point shots in the closing seconds of the third quarter, but he’s a measly 3-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Harden made just 15.4 percent of his attempts from three despite playing for 27 minutes.
Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan bagged 21 points each to lead the scoring for Team Stephen.
Noticeably though, Jimmy Butler didn’t play a single minute, which could be a rest thing given that the Timberwolves star is ninth in the NBA in minutes played this season.
Amid the theatrics of the event—from the long and tedious intro to Fergie’s weird singing of the national anthem—this season’s All-Star Game is undoubtedly an improvement compared to its previous versions and is something fans would surely want to see in the coming years.
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