Golden State Warriors come away as big winners of NBA All-Star Game

Golden State Warriors’ stars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson stole the show at the 2019 NBA All-Star Game with heroics and highlights.

The Golden State Warriors only had three All-Stars this year. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant were all selected to play in Sunday’s game once again. Durant and Thompson were both drafted by LeBron James to join his team–with Durant as his first overall pick–and Curry was chosen first by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In a game full of the NBA’s brightest stars, the three representatives from the Bay Area shone a little brighter than everyone else. Team LeBron ended up on top after the final buzzer, claiming victory by a score of 178-164, but it was the Warriors who really came out as the bigger winners.

Durant led the way for Team LeBron with an effortless 31 points. He was 10 of 15 from the field, knocking down six of his nine 3-point attempts. He also had seven rebounds and two blocks to go with it.

Entering the contest, Team Giannis was the underdog. Antetokounmpo was locked in from the beginning and led his team to a quick start, eventually building a 20-point lead. It looked like the Greek Freak and the Chef were on their way to an easy All-Star victory, redeeming themselves for last year’s defeat.

But Thompson had other plans. He helped dig Team LeBron out of the hole they were in. He had 20 points, the second most on the winning team behind Durant. Thompson hit six of his 12 3-point attempts, adding eight rebounds and four assists, too. His timely shooting–something the NBA has seen time and time again–shifted the momentum of the game in favor of his team.

Durant and Thompson came away with the win, but Curry’s flair stole the show. He struggled to shoot the ball–knocking down just four of 17 shots from long distance–but he completed something breathtaking highlights. He had three of the game’s most exciting plays, putting on a show with a different skill each time.

About halfway through the second quarter, Curry spiked a bounce pass that flew past Durant and over the backboard, floating in the air until Antetokounmpo flashed his Inspector Gadget-like wingspan and slammed it home.

In the fourth quarter, he gave Team Giannis a crucial bucket with an incredible four-point play at the expense of his Splash Brother. Curry caught the cross-court pass from D’Angelo Russell and immediately fired. He kicked his leg out and Thompson clipped him on the closeout. In a regular season game, that play is probably called an offensive foul, but in the All-Star Game, it’s a three with a free throw. Curry then decided to taunt his running mate a little bit, putting smiles on everyone’s faces.

Since the jump shot wasn’t falling for Curry, he decided to take it to the rack. With the result of the game already decided and the final seconds ticking off the clock, the two-time MVP threw himself a bounce pass. He jumped, turned, caught the ball, and dunked the reverse slam. He doesn’t show it often, but he can throw down a dunk every now and then.

The Warriors were well-represented at All-Star weekend. In what was supposed to be a nice break from Golden State’s dominance, the Dubs stood out in a sea of stars.