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Stephen Curry (36) and Jayson Tatum (26) combined for 27 points as Shaquille O'Neal's "Team Shaq's OGs" cruised to victory in the new-look NBA All-Star game in San Francisco on Sunday. Curry, playing on his home court at Golden State's Chase Center, reeled off a string of trademark three-pointers to help his star-studded line-up coast to a 41-25 victory over Charles Barkley's "Team Chuck's Global Stars."
Boston Celtics star Tatum finished with 15 points after delivering a dominant performance in a starting line-up that also included Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and James Harden. Team Shaq's preparations for the game had been dealt a blow shortly before tip-off when Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James withdrew from the line-up, citing a nagging foot and ankle injury. But even without the 40-year-old James, the veteran line-up was always in control against opponents spearheaded by Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Donovan Mitchell.
Curry was named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, the second time he has achieved the accolade after winning the honor in 2022. "It's a celebration of a lot of great things - to be able to play with these guys for as long as we have," Curry said after being handed his MVP award. "It's our responsibility to come out and put on a show and I thank them for helping me do that," Curry added, gesturing to his teammates.
The NBA opted to shake up the format for this year's All-Star game after mounting criticism of the annual mid-season celebration as being a meaningless exhibition game lacking in competitive edge. The old Eastern Conference v Western Conference format was scrapped in favor of a four-team mini-tournament, with each team managed by basketball greats O'Neal, Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Candace Parker. Each game was played on a first-to-40 basis rather than in the conventional four-quarter format.
