Bucks’ Damian Lillard named MVP of 2024 NBA All-Star Game

INDIANAPOLIS — It was “Dame Time” all NBA All-Star Weekend lengthy.

The Milwaukee Bucks‘ Damian Lillard was named All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, scoring 39 factors to steer the Eastern Conference to a 211-186 win over the West within the highest-scoring midseason exhibition to this point.

He joined Michael Jordan as the one different participant in league historical past to win a Saturday night time occasion and be named MVP in the identical All-Star Weekend.

“Anytime you’re mentioned in the same category as Mike, it’s an honor, it’s a major accomplishment, even if it’s All-Star Weekend,” Lillard stated throughout his postgame information convention with the Kobe Bryant MVP trophy positioned on the desk in entrance of him. “Because if it was that simple, more people would have done it.”

Lillard received the 3-point contest on Saturday, edging the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Karl-Anthony Towns and the Atlanta Hawks‘ Trae Young within the last spherical. Jordan received the dunk contest in 1988.

Towns had a noble effort as a runner-up on Sunday too, main the West with 50 factors in 28 minutes to turn out to be simply the fourth participant in All-Star Game historical past to achieve the 50-point plateau. However, Lillard had extra competitors for the award from his East teammates in Indiana Pacers level guard Tyrese Haliburton and Boston Celtics taking pictures guard Jaylen Brown.

Haliburton, the hometown favourite, completed with 32 factors on 11-for-15 taking pictures, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. He outscored the West singlehandedly 15-14 to start out the sport, going 5-for-5 from the sphere earlier than lacking the warmth test from 34 ft away.

Brown had 36 factors on 15-for-23 taking pictures and eight rebounds, and his surge late within the third quarter helped regain management of the sport for the East after the West got here inside 12 factors.

Lillard acquired seven out of 12 votes for the award and Haliburton garnered the opposite 5. Lillard may need sealed his case when Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic failed to complete an alley-oop to himself, ricocheting it off the entrance of the rim halfway by way of the third quarter. Lillard grabbed the rebound, superior the ball and pulled up from simply inside halfcourt, swishing a 3-pointer from 41 ft to spice up his whole to 33 factors and the East’s result in 132-105.

He added six factors within the fourth — together with a 44-foot trey with 22.1 seconds remaining — to cap his night time. Lillard completed 14-for-26 from the sphere, together with 11-for-23 from past the 3-point arc, and added 6 assists.

It was his eighth All-Star look however his first time being named a starter.

“I’m a vet in the game at this point,” Lillard, 33, stated. “Why not go and try to get an MVP? Since I’ve been here enough.”

For Lillard, who joined the Bucks in an offseason commerce after spending the primary 11 years of his profession with the Portland Trail Blazers, it was a welcome weekend within the midst of a difficult stretch.

“It’s been a tough year, just the transition to a new team; we’ve had three coaches since I’ve been there,” Lillard stated, alluding to Doc Rivers’ shock substitute of Adrian Griffin and Joe Prunty’s transient interim stint. “Anytime you have these types of experiences where you have adversity … I think that’s the time you got to show who you really are. Keep doing what you do, keep believing, and when you do that, usually it comes back to you.

“You simply cannot fold.”

The same couldn’t be said for each All-Star team’s defensive efforts.

“I feel it might be extra aggressive,” Lillard admitted. “I feel 200 is loads to be scored. It simply reveals that we did not go on the market and compete like I suppose you’d need us to or whoever would need us to. But I feel that is simply what it’s. Guys are gifted. Make loads of pictures. We hit loads of 3s, and that was it.”