CLEVELAND — In a homecoming fit for a king, LeBron James hit the game-winning shot to give Team LeBron a 163-160 victory over Team Durant in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland on Sunday night.
Playing for Team LeBron, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry led all scorers with 50 points, including an All-Star Game record 16 three-pointers made, to win win the Kobe Bryant MVP Award and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo added 30 points. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid led Team Durant with 36 points.
Team Durant had entered the fourth quarter with a 139-138 lead, with the two teams playing to a fixed score of 163 points in the fourth quarter. But while it was Curry who stole the show, it was James' turnaround one-footed jumper that gave his team the victory, which marked James' fifth straight All-Star Game win as a captain under the current format.
What follows is a running live blog of the first three quarters of the game:
Third quarter
End of quarter: Team Durant 45, Team LeBron 45: A Luka Doncic layup ties the quarter up for Team LeBron as the two teams head to the fourth playing to 163.
2:25: Team Durant 38, Team LeBron 35: Team Durant maintains its edge with Joel Embiid up to a team-high 29 points.
5:53: Team Durant 29, Team LeBron 25: The Stephen Curry Show continues into the second half, as the Warriors guard has set an NBA All-Star Game record with 13 3-pointers. Still, Curry's Team LeBron trails Team Durant in the third quarter.
Second quarter
End of quarter: Team Durant 49, Team LeBron 46: Team Durant holds off a late run from Team LeBron to take the second quarter Joel Embiid leads Team Durant with 17 points, while Steph Curry leads all scorers with 24.
2:49: Team Durant 41, Team LeBron 33: Team Durant has the lead, but Stephen Curry is heating up, having hit six threes to keep Team LeBron in striking distance. Devin Booker leads Team Durant with 16 points.
6:43: Team Durant 20, Team LeBron 17: With the scores resetting at the end of the quarter, Team Durant jumps out to a 3-point lead. Of note: Cavs guard Darius Garland now has a team-high 10 points for Team LeBron.
First quarter
End of quarter: Team LeBron 47, Team Durant 45: Team LeBron takes the first quarter with Luka Doncic regaining the lead for his team with a pair of 3-point shots.
1:30: Team Durant 43, Team LeBron 41: Team Durant takes the lead on a 3-point Khris Middleton jumper, with Joel Embiid now up to 11 points as reserves begin to take the court.
6:32: Team LeBron 23, Team Durant 18: Team LeBron jumps out to an early lead with Stephen Curry hitting a pair of threes and Joel Embiid adding seven points for Team Durant.
