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Scottie Barnes attempted just one shot in his first appearance with the Stars team during the NBA All-Star Game tournament on Sunday evening, but boy did it count.
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The Toronto Raptors star hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer against the World team for a 37-35 victory in the first of four games at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
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While the forward/guard only finished the game with those three points, he had a team-high five rebounds for the Stars to go along with two assists, a steal and a block. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards had a team-high 13 points for the Stars, while San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama had a game-high 14 points.
Kitchener’s Jamal Murray, a star guard with the Denver Nuggets, was held pointless for the World team, which was without Hamilton’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
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The Stars and Stripes teams were to face off in the tournament final later in the night after the Stripes won both of their games — a 42-40 decision against the Stars, with San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox pulling a Barnes at the buzzer as well; and a 48-45 victory over the World team.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown led the Stripes with 11 points against the Stars, while former Raptor and current Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who was playing on his home court, had a stunning 31 points in the win against World.
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Buzz is back for all-star weekend finale?
The first two mini games appeared to be played at a higher level of competitiveness than most All-Star Games in recent years, suggesting the league’s fourth all-star format in four years might have finally cracked the code on the long-standing question of how to make this midseason showcase more entertaining.
The All-Star Game has received years of criticism for the players’ increasingly indifferent effort and TV viewers’ declining interest. The new setup matches two teams of American all-stars against a team representing the World, hoping to stoke nationalistic passion from players and fans during an Olympic year.
The three teams played a round-robin tournament of 12-minute games to determine the final matchup.
— With files from The Associated Press.
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