Maybe the NBA is a big man’s game after all.
That was part of the tone stemming from the All-Star competition Saturday night in Cleveland.
Karl-Anthony Towns, a center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, was the winner of the 3-Point Contest. Power forward Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks won the Slam Dunk competition. The Skills Competition was determined based on Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley’s halfcourt shot.
Towns, who’s listed at 6-feet-11, said he was motivated to prevail in the shooting competition.
“I always said I’m up there with the best-shooting big men of all time,” Towns said. “I needed this trophy to prove it.”
It was no fluke, either. Towns said he expected to win.
“The only way I’m going to lose is if somebody outshoots me,” Towns said. “I ain’t going to beat myself out there. … I didn’t come here to compete. I came here to win.”
It was a record point total for a final round when Towns, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, posted 29 points.
Towns topped Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Luke Kennard of the Los Angeles Clippers in the final round. Young and Kennard both had 26 points.
Towns went first among finalists and set a pace that couldn’t be topped even though he missed his last three shots. He made 4 of his first 5 attempts in the final.
Towns went first in the finals. Young posted 26 points, missing his final shot from the right corner. In the preliminary round, Young connected on his last shot, giving him 22 points. That left Patty Mills out of the final.
Kennard racked up 28 points in the first round.
Before being reduced to the three finalists, the field consisted of CJ McCollum, Zach LaVine, Desmond Bane, Fred VanVleet and Mills.
This result might be more validation for Towns, who’s attending his third All-Star Weekend.
“I’m just really happy to be here,” Towns said. “Really happy to represent the Wolves and my teammates and hopefully come out with some dubs this weekend as well.”
Toppin, at 6-9, was a relatively easy winner in the Slam Dunk competition, topping Juan Toscano-Anderson of the Golden State Warriors in the final.
Some past dunkers were strictly backcourt players, showing explosive leaping ability. Toppin excelled more with his creativity.
Toppin was given a total of 45 points by judges on his first dunk in the final.
Anderson had a score of 39 and then failed to complete a second dunk, so Toppin clinched the title before his second attempt in the last round.
“I definitely stuck with my strategy,” Toppin said, suggesting that struggles for others didn’t impact his approach. “All these guys are great dunkers. We just came out here to have fun and put on a show.”
Toppin became the third Knick to win the dunk competition. His dunk specialties Saturday night included between-the-legs maneuvers.
Toscano-Anderson completed his first dunk in the first round by leaping over Golden State teammate Andrew Wiggins.
Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets managed 83 points in the preliminary for third place. Green’s second dunk received 45 points, marking the highest score of any dunk in Saturday’s competition.
Cole Anthony of the Orlando Magic was fourth with 70 points. He called out his father, former NBA player Greg Anthony, to hold the ball on his first dunk, which was accomplished while wearing a pair of work boots. The son wore his father’s Knicks jersey. Anthony failed to complete a second dunk.
There also was a home-state element, only a thwarted by the final results in the 3-Point Contest.
Toppin played collegiately for Dayton. Kennard, the runner-up in the 3-Point Contest, is from the Cincinnati area.
So those themes came after a group representing the host Cleveland Cavaliers won the evening’s first event.
Mobley hit a halfcourt shot as part of the Skills Challenge, giving Team Cavs the victory.
“I felt it when it came off,” Mobley said. “It looked good.”
Mobley also checks in at 6-11.
“We always say he’s one of a kind — defense, offense and now halfcourt,” teammate Jarrett Allen said.
Team Cavs needed one basket in the halfcourt shot phase and Mobley drained it. After Allen missed wide left, Mobley swished the team’s second attempt and so the group didn’t even have to use the rest of its attempts.
Earlier, Darius Garland and Mobley combined to give Team Cavs the early lead in the skills competition in the jump shot portion of the event.
Still, Team Rooks — composed of Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey — surged into the lead with 200 points compared to 100 points each for Team Cavs and Team Antetokounmpos.
Team Cavs made it to the final when Garland hit a 3-pointer to break the tie with Team Antetokounmpos.
“I had confidence the whole way,” Garland said.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a solid beginning in the shooting category and seemed particularly engaged in the competition.
The Skills Challenge was a new event that featured three three-man teams. It involved shooting, passing, a relay and, as the final, a half-court shooting drill.
—Field Level Media
