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The NBA’s best gathered together in Charlotte for the 68th annual All-Star Game to entertain fans from across the globe. Team LeBron finished with 178 points to outlast Team Giannis, who finished with “only” 164 points during the NBA’s midseason event.
As good a show as we witnessed on Sunday night, not everyone played well. Here are the All-Star Game grades for every player that participated, ranked from worst to best.
26. LaMarcus Aldridge
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 2 points, 4 rebounds
Grade: C-
LaMarcus Aldridge was…uhm…present. The four rebounds were nice as was the jump shot he made.
25. Kyle Lowry
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 3 points, 1-of-5 FGs, 1-of-4 3pt FGs
Grade: C-
Lowry had a forgettable All-Star Game, but he did have that mano-a-mano with Lillard in the third quarter. The problem was, Lowry missed one of his shots badly en route to making only 1-of-5 last night. It wasn’t that kind of night for the Toronto Raptors point guard.
24. Anthony Davis
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 5 points, 1 rebound
Grade: C-
One of the best players in the game was the most rested player on Team LeBron. Davis had a shoulder injury in his last game which limited his playing time. He nailed a three-pointer, though, so that counts for something.
23. D’Angelo Russell
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 6 points, 2-of-5 FGs, 2-of-5 3pt FGs
Grade: C-
As a first-timer to the event, Russell played in only 12 minutes. He took five attempts from the field but he nailed two of them in the all-important third quarter when Team LeBron was still just trying to catch up.
22. Dwyane Wade
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 10 minutes, 7 points, 4 assists
Grade: C
The Flash wasn’t as fast as he used to be but he played well in the few minutes that he had on the hardwood. His alley-oop to his one-time Miami Heat teammate LeBron was something special to remember.
21. Nikola Vucevic
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 4 points, 5 rebounds
Grade: C
Another one of those first-timers, Vucevic played limited minutes but was a force on the boards. His length bothered his opponents and he made both of his shots for a cool 100-percent shooting.
20. Kemba Walker
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 4 points, 8 assists, 2-of-8 FGs, 0-for-5 3pt FGs
Grade: C
It’s not Walker’s first time to be an All-Star but it was his first time as a starter. Maybe it was the jitters especially since he was playing in familiar territory. Though he shot poorly, Walker made up for it with a game-high eight assists.
19. Nikola Jokic
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 6 points, 9 rebounds, 3-of-4 FGs
Grade: C
The Denver Nuggets should be proud of their lone representative to the All-Star Game. Jokic only played 13 minutes but his paint presence was significant. Grabbing nine caroms, the Joker provided his team with a defensive anchor when he played.
18. James Harden
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4-of-13 FGs, 4-of-13 3pt FGs
Grade: C
This should have been Harden’s time to shine after going on an offensive tear for the Houston Rockets the past two months. But, he couldn’t find his shot and struggled defensively, too.
He did make a late three, so that was significant.
17. Russell Westbrook
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 8-of-20 FGs, 1-of-8 3pt FGs
Grade: C+
Still can’t shoot well even in an All-Star Game. Westbrook simply couldn’t buy a bucket and kept shooting rather than distributing the ball. He managed to score in the paint, which allowed him to score 17 for the ball game.
16. Bradley Beal
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 11 points, 4-of-11 FGs, 3-of-10 3pt FGs
Grade: C+
Unlike last year when he was one of the best players for Team LeBron, Beal was noticeably absent-minded in the first half. Good thing there are two halves in a game including the All-Star Game. He drained three three-pointers after the halftime break and made up for his poor showing at the start with a good second half of play.
15. Dirk Nowitzki
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 9 points, 3-of-3 FGs, 3-of-3 3pt FGs
Grade: B
He should have played more, but Nowitzki was content to let the young ones run up and down the court. That doesn’t mean he didn’t contribute to Team Giannis’ cause. He drained all of his three-point attempts then rested after only four minutes of action. One of the threes was from way outside the arc.
Nine points in only four minutes? You age like wine, Dirk.
14. Blake Griffin
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4-of-8 FGs, 2-of-4 3pt FGs
Grade: B
Griffin is having one of his best seasons in the league and he was rewarded with another trip to the NBA’s premier midseason event. He didn’t disappoint as he contributed mightily to Team Giannis’ cause. He nailed 50 percent of his shots while showcasing his shooting touch from beyond the arc with a couple of trifectas. Those six rebounds were huge, by the way.
13. Joel Embiid
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 10 points, 12 rebounds, 4-of-12 FGs, 0-for-3 3pt FGs
Grade: B
Embiid was a tough presence down low, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. He also played defense whenever his number was called and he delivered with a strong double-double performance. He didn’t knock in any of his three-point attempts, but it’s the All-Star Game so he can be forgiven.
12. Karl-Anthony Towns
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 11 points, 5-of-7 FGs
Grade: B
He only played for 11 minutes but scored in double-digits including a three-pointer and a duo of explosive slams. Towns played well when he was inserted into the game, but the team needed more shooters on the floor. Too bad, because the Minnesota Timberwolves center was playing at a high level.
11. Stephen Curry
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 6-of-23 FGs, 4-of-17 3pt FGs
Grade: B
Curry can’t seem to get the hang of these last two All-Star Games as he shot poorly for the second consecutive year. No problem. He makes them when they count anyway and he had a brilliant all-around game with nine boards and seven assists. He had the best alley-oop of the night with a high bounce pass for Antetokounmpo to catch and finish with authority. He also made a four-point play on a foul from Splash Brother Klay Thompson.
That was sweet.
10. LeBron James
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1-of-8 3pt FGs
Grade: B
James was supposed to carry this team to a win. Instead, he was on the sidelines cheering as Damian Lillard did it for him with timely shooting in the second half of the game. As team captain, the King should have implored his team to play better defense from the second quarter onwards but was content to let them play the way they wanted.
Still, James managed to play a very good all-around game including a game-defining three-pointer in front of Joel Embiid’s outstretched arms to extend their lead to eight with three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game.
9. Kawhi Leonard
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 7-of-14 FGs, 5-of-11 3pt FGs
Grade: B+
The pair of threes that Leonard made in the fourth quarter were huge and he should be commended for staying ready despite playing the fewest minutes of any starter for either team. He scored 19 points in 19 minutes, a point-per-minute production that could have given him a chance to be the MVP had he played more.
The Klaw made the most of his opportunities. Leonard had his best game in three years at the All-Star Game, providing instant offense as needed.
8. Kyrie Irving
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 6-of-12 FGs
Grade: B+
Looks like that phone call to LeBron really helped Irving mature even in the All-Star Game. The Boston Celtics point guard was content to pass the ball around a lot, dishing off six assists including an alley-oop to James that was reminiscent of their time playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
His all-around game was superb, shooting the basketball only as necessary and he was never out of control even with Team Giannis threatening to blow his team out of the water in the first half.
7. Ben Simmons
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 5-of-5 FGs
Grade: A
No one orchestrated the offense better for either team than Simmons. He quarterbacked the third quarter rally that led to their eventual win. With his all-around game in full display, Simmons played like a veteran All-Star and had a near triple-double in the process.
6. Khris Middleton
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 7-of-13 FGs, 6-of-10 3pt FGs
Grade: A
Not bad for a first-time All-Star. Middleton was scorching hot from three-point range as soon as he entered the ballgame. He had no first-game jitters whatsoever and he was clearly one of the best players for Team Giannis.
Those six threes not only tied for game-high honors, but he was also one of the most efficient three-point shooters as well.
5. Paul George
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 20 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 7-of-14 FGs, 6-of-12 3pt FGs
Grade: A
For a few plays, it seemed as if George and Harden were going one-on-one in a battle for who will get this year’s MVP award for the regular season. If that had been the case, then PG 13 won this matchup. George delivered a couple of threes in the face of Harden, employing the Beard’s patented stepback jumper to nail a couple of them.
George’s three-point shooting contributed to Team Giannis’ double-digit advantage for much of the game. That 360-degree dunk was pretty sweet, too.
4. Klay Thompson
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 7-of-16 FGs, 6-of-12 3pt FGs
Grade: A
The other half of the Splash Brothers played for Team LeBron and he didn’t disappoint. Thompson drilled six threes for the night, often keeping his team from going down by a bigger margin when Team Giannis was pouring it on especially in the first half. If not for Thompson’s hot-shooting, their opponent wouldn’t have been within reach.
3. Damian Lillard
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 6-of-17 3pt FGs
Grade: A
Lillard spearheaded Team LeBron’s comeback from a 20-point deficit when he caught fire in the third quarter. He and Lowry exchanged three-pointers, but it was Dame who had the last say, draining two of those ICBMs from near half court. If he hadn’t cooled down in the fourth, he could have challenged Durant for MVP honors.
Speaking of Durant…
2. Kevin Durant
Team LeBron
Key Stats: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 10-of-15 FGs, 6-of-9 3pt-FGs, 5-of-5 FTs
Grade: A+
The All-Star Game MVP deserved the award for his excellent play throughout the contest. Durant was unstoppable and his 6-of-9 shooting from deep was exquisite. He kept the team in the game early and he contributed three three-pointers late in the game to continue Team LeBron’s assault against Team Giannis.
He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team to the victory. Durant carried the team on his back as soon as he re-entered the game in the final stanza, and his presence both offensively and defensively helped keep their opponent from mounting a rally late in the game.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Team Giannis
Key Stats: 38 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 17-of-23 FGs
Grade: A+
Antetokounmpo was made for the All-Star Game, and vice versa. For the second time in three years, the Greek Freak scored in the 30s with a 38-point outing last night that was spectacular to say the least. From the opening tip to the game’s final minutes, he didn’t let his foot off the gas pedal.
Giannis had an ultra-efficient 17-of-23 shooting from the floor, with four of those misses coming from attempts way outside of his usual range. He knocked down two three-pointers in the second half to show off a possible new weapon in the future.
He was unquestionably the best player in last night’s game but the loss prevented him from winning his first All-Star MVP award. Maybe next year, young man.
