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Damian Lillard powers East over West, wins MVP honors in 2024 All-Star Game

Dame put up a team-high 39 points to lead the East to a victory.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
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Damian Lillard turned in a performance to remember in his first All-Star Game as a starter, leading the East to a 211-186 win over the West on Sunday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Lillard shot 11 of 23 from the three-point area and finished with a team-high 39 points to win the All-Star Game MVP award. The Milwaukee Bucks star provided some highlight reels when he sank two three-pointers from midcourt.

East unleashed firepower

Lillard got plenty of support as he had two teammates also breaching the 30-point mark. Reserve Jaylen Brown scattered 36 points, while Tyrese Haliburton dropped 32 on 11 of 15 three-point shooting. The trio combined for 27 of the East’s 42 made three-pointers.

Lillard’s Milwaukee teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 23 points, Jayson Tatum added 20, and Scottie Barnes had 16. Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey were the other East players to score in double figures, with 12 and 10, respectively.

Karl-Anthony Towns came off the bench to lead the West with 50 points, making an array of dunks in a 12 of 16 shooting night from. The Minnesota Timberwolves big man became just the fourth player to score at least 50 points in an All-Star Game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected 31 points, while Kevin Durant tallied 18. Stephen Curry added 16 points for the West, Devin Booker chipped in 15, while Nikola Jokic and Paul George each had 13 points.

Record-setting All-Star Game

The two teams hardly played defense, with the East setting a record for most points scored in an All-Star Game, breaking the previous record of 196 set by the West in the 2016 edition of the annual spectacle.

The total combined points were the most in an All-Star Game, while the two teams also combined for 168 three-point attempts—the most in the history of the game.

The West took an early 10-5 lead, but that proved to be their biggest lead in the game as the East staged a 9-0 run to take the lead for good. The East led by 15 at halftime, 104-89, and the game has never been close since then, with the winning team posting leads of as many as 27 points in the final two quarters.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.