NBA All-Star Game 2018: Team Curry loses to Team LeBron, 148-145

At Staples Center on Sunday night, Team Stephen was defeated in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game by Team LeBron, 148-145.

LeBron James was named All-Star Game MVP for the third time in his career, finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Kevin Durant, the lone Warrior player on Team LeBron, finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Team captain Stephen Curry scored 11 points to go with his 5 assists while Klay Thompson contributed 15 points and Draymond Green scored 3 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Thompson made five three-pointers in the first half of Sunday night’s All-Star Game, including these three baskets from long distance.

Team Stephen led by as many as 14 points but Team LeBron always had an answer as the game wasn’t decided until the game’s final minutes when Team LeBron came up with the baskets and the defensive stops to give them the win.

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This year’s All-Star Game felt different from previous seasons because there was much more defense played.Whether owing to the new format with the captains picking the teams or the criticism about the lack of defensive intensity in previous seasons or the new monetary incentives, it was clear that the All-Stars were taking this game more seriously than in the past.

There were fouls called, shots blocked and teams getting into the bonus. Now it’s up for debate whether this was better than the defense-less All-Star games of years past, but it was certainly something new.

That said, there were quite a few of the eye-catching spectacular highlights that one expects to see when you have all these great players together on one basketball court.

And, oh yes, Sunday night’s game gave us this great moment as well.

But ultimately it was exciting and, by All-Star standards, a well-played game that came down to the final seconds. With the All-Star festivities all wrapped up, everyone in the league gets some time off before the schedule resumes on Thursday. On Thursday night, the Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers as they begin the final 24 games of the 2017-18 regular season with a game against their Pacific Division rivals.