Though the crown jewel of the NBA's All-Star weekend takes place Sunday, some of the most memorable moments from the annual festivities happen the night before during the three-headed beast of the skills challenge, 3-point contest and slam dunk contest.
This edition of the Saturday special, taking place in Indianapolis, could be an all-timer, with some big names and storylines featuring in each of the events.
In the skills challenge, teams led by phenom Victor Wembanyama, first-time All-Star Scottie Barnes and Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton will go head-to-head in a series of trials and tribulations.
Next up will be the 3-point contest, featuring a versatile set of sharpshooters, including the Milwaukee Bucks duo of Malik Beasley and Damian Lillard, Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Town, and hometown hero Haliburton making his second appearance of the night.
Here's the full field for the long-range showdown:
Following the usual three-point contest, fans will be treated to a groundbreaking one-on-one matchup featuring the best three-point shooters of all-time from both the NBA and the WNBA, as Golden State Warriors legend Steph Curry takes on New York Liberty superstar Sabrina Ionescu.
As per usual, the slam dunk contest will cap off the night.
Following his show-stopping performance in the showcase last year, G-Leaguer Mac McClung is back by popular demand and should be set to dazzle once more. He's already made it clear that he'll debut two dunks at this year's festivities.
Chasing his crown will be a pretty interesting and one-of-a-kind field. Starting things off is Jacob Topping, a fellow G-Leaguer and brother of Indiana Pacers forward and former dunk contest participant Obi Topping. Then comes Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., who's been preparing for this moment his whole life. To round out the field, Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown will take flight, marking the first time an All-Star takes place in the contest since Lob City legend DeAndre Jordan took part in both events in 2017.
Follow along here for live results from each of the events from a scintillating All-Star Saturday night!
Team Pacers use homecourt advantage to clear the field, win Skills Challenge
Following the conclusion of the shooting competition in the third round, Team Pacers and Team All-Stars were tied at 200 points apiece. However, the hometown squad won it when Tyrese Haliburton nailed his shot 38.3 seconds into the tie-breaking half-court shot face-off, beating the mark of 58.8 set by Tyrese Maxey just before.
Damian Lillard defeats Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns to defend his 3-Point Contest title
Atlanta's Trae Young got hot at the end, knocking down six of his last seven shots but missing the final ball, giving him a final score of 24. However, it was just in reach for experienced sharpshooter Damian Lillard who did the opposite, draining his final shot and finishing with 26 points as the clock struck "Dame Time" to become the first back-to-back three-point contest winner since former Raptor Jason Kapono in 2008.
Steph Curry defeats Sabrina Ionescu 29-26 in their 3-Point Shootout
Steph Curry got hot from the wing, knocking down all 10 of his shots from those two racks and then going four-for-five from his money rack to beat the WNBA's Sabrina Ionescu in a tight 29-26 win in the first-of-its-kind 3-Point Shootout.
The return of the Mac.
G Leaguer Mac McClung left no debate as to who the best dunker in the world is, filling the judges' table with 10s on his final dunk as he defeated Celtics high-flyer Jaylen Brown and secured his second-consecutive Slam Dunk Contest trophy.
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