2024 NBA All-Star Game: East 211, West 186: “ASG is pretty dumb“

No, the headline isn’t wrong and your eyes aren’t lying to you.

The Eastern Conference won the 73rd All-Star Game by dumping more than 200 points on their foes from the Western Conference—something that had not been done before—on their way to finishing Sunday’s mid-season marquee event with a 211-186 win in the capper of the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend.

Back in 2016, when the ASG was still played as a battle of conferences, it took Russell Westbrook a Western Conference-leading 23 FGA and 31 points to lift his squad to victory over the East, 196-173. That was a nonsensical score, but eight years after that happened in Toronto with both sides combining for 369 points north of the border, we got to witness an ultra-boosted version of such a gaudy and offensive (literally and figuratively) version of that game.

One more 3-pointer made and both conferences would have reached 400 total points on the evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indy. And it wasn’t for a lack of trying, mind you.

The West hoisted 71 three-point shots but the East went for their neck and destroyed that figure by putting up a silly 97 (yes, including some from the half-court line) three-ball shots.

Absolutely nobody in the history of the sport had attempted even 40 field goals before this year (Anthony Davis finished with 39 in 2017, only two other players reached 30 and 31 after—or before). Well, on Sunday, Karl-Anthony Towns fell just five shots short of reaching that figure with 35 FGA across 28 minutes of playing time, off the pine, to bag 50 points on the spot.

KAT’s 50 are not the most points scored in an ASG as he could not reach AD’s 52 from 2017 nor Jayson Tatum’s 55 from last season’s event. He tied Steph Curry’s mark from 2022, however. Again, playing off the freaking pine. Alright, champ.

Miraculously, both teams attempted at least one free-throw shot each (one the West, four the East) and played a tightly contested battle on the boards, the West falling to the East prowess there, 53-64. Somehow, there were 14 total steals and three (three!) blocked shots.

The points in the paint tally were won by the Western Conference, 100-74. Just last Thursday, the final day with NBA games scheduled before the break, there was a matchup between Minnesota and Portland in which the Blazers scored 91 total points.

Thrilling!

Anyway. It was always clear nobody was going to give a damn about this game, not in the day and age we live in. That said, the East mob had a clear goal in mind, and Jalen Brunson had no issue sharing the truth with the world after the festivities were over.

The Eastern Conference Team was aiming for those 200 pops.

In all honesty, the headline cannot be more true: “ASG is pretty dumb.“

Dame conquered the 3-point contest field on Saturday in a preview of what was coming on Sunday, as he went on to put on a ridiculous, pre-game-Steph-like show in which he was hitting threes from the middle of the logo with ease. No wonder he finished the day with 39 points and getting named MVP.

Brunson came off the pine late in the first quarter, played 17 minutes, and didn’t look out of place finishing the matchup with 12 points to his name along with five dimes, four rebounds, and one steal. I’m proud of the kid launching the most FGA (12) among all Eastern Conference reserves and one starter (Bam Adebayo, two).

JB even “dunked” the rock. Peep. A sight to behold.

And with this, we put an end to a short vacation and another weekend full of flashes and highlights but no defense nor passion.

Adam Silver wanted a more competitive matchup in the All-Star Game so he removed the silly captains thing, the draft, and some other stuff. Bringing back the classic East vs. West lineup sounded nice on paper but was a complete failure on the court, which was easy to predict because this NBA is not the 90’s version of the Association.

One (for the Zoomers and the Gen-Alpha fam reading this) in which the dudes gracing the hardwood didn’t have social media around and exchanged barbs and punches instead of reposts and likes.

Even if the ASG is never going to feel—let alone be played—like an NBA Finals Game 7, at least a couple of decades ago there was some intensity and pride in beating the other side. Now you get a fiercer battle off the court on the #leaguefits feed to see who dons the best garments more than you do get one on the court deciding who brings the best all-around game to help his team come up with the dub.

Still a few days until the real NBA comes back. Reminisce true ASG greatness.