Category: Basketball

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Jaquan Johnson scored 24 points to lead Bradley to a 70-60 victory over Southern Illinois on Sunday.

Johnson made 9 of 18 shots with two 3-pointers for the Braves (18-9, 11-5 Missouri Valley Conference), adding seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Alex Huibregtse hit four 3-pointers and scored 14.

Quel'Ron House finished with 26 points to pace the Salukis (12-15, 6-10). Davion Sykes added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Johnson had seven points in the first half as the two teams played to a 28-all tie. Johnson had 17 points after halftime and Huibregtse added 11 to rally the Braves to the victory.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketba spurtll: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Marta Suarez and Clara Silva both finished with 14 points to help No. 17 TCU beat No. 19 West Virginia 59-50 on Sunday night and take over the top spot in the Big 12 Conference.

TCU (23-4, 11-3), which won the regular-season and conference tournament titles last season, is tied with No. 12 Baylor, but the Horned Frogs have the tiebreaker advantage after beating the Bears 83-67 before taking care of the Mountaineers. Baylor visits TCU to close out the regular season on March 1.

TCU has won 40 straight games at Schollmaier Arena, tying No. 4 Texas for the longest active streak. West Virginia was the last team to win there, beating the Frogs 77-52 two years ago.

Suarez made 6 of 10 shots with two 3-pointers and Silva sank 7 of 12 shots with eight rebounds and two blocks. Olivia Miles pitched in with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Taylor Bigby added 10 points and four assists as the starters did all the scoring.

Gia Cooke had 18 points to top the Mountaineers (21-6, 11-4), who lost 51-50 to TCU at home in January. Sydney Shaw hit three 3-pointers and scored 12. West Virginia had won four straight and seven of eight entering play.

Cooke and Shaw sank back-to-back 3-pointers and West Virginia used an 8-0 run over the final three minutes of the first quarter to take a 14-11 lead.

Cooke had nine points by halftime and the Mountaineers again outscored the Horned Frogs 14-11 for a six-point lead.

TCU made only 1 of 8 from distance in the first half, but Hunter hit two 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the third quarter and Suarez and Bigby both sank one in a 20-2 run that put the Horned Frogs ahead 42-30. TCU made its first nine shots in the period to build a 46-39 lead heading to the fourth.

The Mountaineers cut the dificit to six on four occasions over the final 10 minutes but got no closer.

Up next

TCU: At Houston on Wednesday.

West Virginia: Hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

INGLEWOOD, CA — The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is officially a wrap.

An entertaining showcase on Sunday, Feb. 15 resulted in a victory for Team Stars — a squad composed of mostly younger U.S.-born players — reinvigorated the event, which has faced repeated criticism over a lack of competitive play.

In the All-Star Game championship, Team Stars defeated Team Stripes, which mostly featured a collection of more experienced veterans like LeBron James of the Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Rockets and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards won the Kobe Bryant Trophy, given to the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player.

Here are the winners and losers from the 2026 NBA All-Star Game:

SEATTLE (AP) — Sayvia Sellers scored 17 points to help No. 25 Washington beat Oregon 51-43 on Sunday night.

Sellers made 6 of 16 shots with three 3-pointers for the Huskies (19-7, 9-6 Big Ten Conference). Avery Howell pitched in with nine points and nine rebounds.

Sarah Rambus scored 12 off the bench on 5-for-7 shooting to pace the Ducks (18-9, 6-8), who have lost two straight following a four-game winning streak.

Sellers hit two 3-pointers and scored eight in the first five minutes as Washington jumped out to a 13-1 lead. Sellers added another 3-pointer and the Huskies led 22-9 after one quarter.

Mia Jacobs' three-point play capped a 15-0 run for Oregon and the Ducks rallied to take a 28-27 into halftime. Washington did not score after Elle Ladine sank a jumper to give the Huskies a 14-point lead with 8:29 left in the quarter.

Howell and Sellers had back-to-back baskets to begin the second half and Washington moved back in front. The lead changed hands three times before Sellers and Howell had the final two baskets of the quarter for a 37-34 advantage.

Freshman Brynn McGaughy had a three-point play to begin the final period for a six-point lead and the Huskies stayed in front from there. Sarah Rambus scored in the paint to cut the deficit to two before the Ducks went scoreless over the final 3:47.

Washington shot 38.3% overall and made 6 of 19 from beyond the arc. Oregon shot 30.9% overall and missed 9 of 10 from distance.

Up next

Oregon: Hosts Nebraska on Thursday.

Washington: At No. 2 UCLA on Thursday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game was an unquestioned success. The convoluted USA vs. the World format made the game competitive for three of the four quarters, which hasn’t happened in at least three decades. Watching the best players in the world participate in a game that somewhat resembled basketball was awesome. For once, the product actually lived up to the billing

This, however, isn’t the first time an innovation format worked in its initial go-around. The 2018 version, after they introduced team captains, had an exciting ending. And the 2020 game that used the Elam ending was one of the best finishes in recent memory.

The league hasn’t struggled to find new formats that work. The issue has been making them do so for more than just one season. Each of the previous changes led to the same issues the following year, which inevitably caused additional alterations.

Like most of the issues the NBA has been trying to tackle under Adam Silver, they’re trying to fix it by not addressing the actual problem.

The All-Star Game format wasn’t broken on its own. There’s a reason basketball is played under the same rules around the world. The real issue was a lack of effort from the players. And there’s no way to really legislate around that with format changes.

The NBA has tried to fix other issues in similar heavy-handed ways.

They wanted to increase the competitiveness of games down the stretch, so they made up the Play-In Tournament. They wanted to make games more meaningful at the beginning of the season, so they created the NBA Cup. They wanted to end load management, so they instituted a 65-game minimum requirement for awards. They wanted to limit tanking, so they flattened the lottery odds and may make further changes.

These innovations are all somewhat justified on their own, but none of them have meaningfully addressed the actual long-term issues.

The problem with playoff seeding not mattering and the start of the season dragging is the fact that too many teams make the playoffs. If you wanted the regular season to really mean something, you’d cut the number of playoff participants to four in each conference. Although, that wouldn’t seriously be discussed since the league would never get rid of an entire playoff round.

Load management is needed because the regular season is too long, given how fast the game is played. But the league isn’t going to attack either of those issues. They don’t want to shorten the season, and they aren’t going to move to a less offense-friendly style of play. So instead, we have the best player — Nikola Jokic — ineligible for regular-season awards.

And lastly, there’s nothing you can do to keep teams from being bad. Making it harder for them to improve through the draft is just going to keep them where they are, which encourages more teams to tank, instead of fewer.

The league isn’t interested in actually fixing the issues that they see within their product. Instead, they’re content to add band-aid solutions that help alleviate some of the symptoms, but do little to solve the core problem.

And every time you make one of these alterations, you’re signaling to everyone that this thing is broken. Nobody proposes drastic changes to something that is working fine.

In the end, the NBA is left waving giant red flags at known problems, while also not meaningfully confronting any of the root issues. This creates an environment where those paid to comment on the league spend most of their energy talking about what’s wrong and proposing narrow-minded solutions, instead of discussing what’s happening on the court.

The NFL has many of the same problems as the NBA, they just don’t seem to care. Teams tank down the stretch for draft position, some of their weekly on-field offerings are downright awful (I’m looking at you, Thursday Night Football), and the Pro Bowl is a complete joke.

But instead of drawing attention to those things, the NFL keeps rolling and highlights what is working.

When you create an environment that the NBA has, where it’s constantly talking about what’s wrong and trying to fix things that they really don’t have the financial incentive to solve, you only magnify the issues.

If they merely admitted that the All-Star Game was never great and just a glorified exhibition, you would’ve saved yourself from the annual negative press that comes after another disappointing weekend. If you just accepted that the playoffs were really what’s important — and teams should do whatever they can to position themselves best for them — then you’d have the ability to celebrate those three months. And if you just came to terms with bad teams existing and created a system that allowed them to get better, you wouldn’t have the same perennial losers at the bottom of the league year after year.

Or if you want to change these things, actually do so.

Yes, this All-Star Game was a success, but recent history tells us it won’t be next season. And until the league is merely okay with this event being the same mediocre product it’s always been for anyone over the age of 18, it’s going to keep being stuck in this loop of inviting criticism and fixes, without being interested in truly solving the root problems. Which is where the association has been under Silver’s entire tenure.

No real fixes. Just temporary solutions that frustrate everyone eventually.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State fired basketball coach Jerome Tang on Sunday night, four days after many Wildcats fans showed up with bags over their heads for a home blowout.

Athletic director Gene Taylor announced the move in a statement.

“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program,” Taylor said. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”

The school said an interim head coach will be announced soon, and that a national search for a replacement has started.

“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” Tang told ESPN in a statement. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.”

On Wednesday night at home in a 91-62 loss to Cincinnati, many fans wore bags over their heads in disgust.

“This was embarrassing,” Tang said after that game. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university, I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous. We’ve got practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we will get this thing right. I have no answer and no words.”

Kansas State (10-15, 1-11 Big 12) fell 78-64 on Saturday at No. 3 Houston, the Wildcats' sixth straight loss. In four seasons at the school, the 59-year-old Tang was 71-57 overall and 29-39 in the conference. He led the Wildcats to a 26-10 mark in his first season.

The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday night at home against Baylor, where Tang was an assistant coach for 19 seasons with Scott Drew, including the Bears’ national title in 2021.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

The NBA All-Star Game has not been great for a while. Over the last few years, the players haven’t taken it seriously, leading the league to implement bizarro changes like the Elam Ending or a round-robin tournament including the winner of the Rising Stars challenge. This year, it was a round-robin tournament with an emphasis on players from the U.S. vs. the World. The gimmick worked, leading to one of the best games in recent memory.

No gimmick alone can change the culture surrounding the game. It starts with the players, and on Sunday night, it started with one player who elevated the competition for everyone: Victor Wembanyama.

“Wemby set the tone,” said the game’s MVP, Anthony Edwards. “He came out playing hard.”

Wembanyama has talked the talk about trying hard in the All-Star Game. He backed it up with a Team World-leading performance in the opening game against “Team Stars,” which featured the younger generation of U.S. all-stars.

The San Antonio Spurs big man came out hot. He won the tip and immediately went to the other end for a dunk to kick off the game. It was the first highlight of a stellar 14-point, 6-rebound, and 3-block performance.

He followed that play up with a three, and then picked up two blocks on the other end. He was locked in playing defense, and Team World was running its offensive game through Wembanyama. A tough stretch of lazy defense and bad turnovers (ASG staples) allowed Team Stars to climb back into the game and make things competitive. In the winding seconds of the first game, Edwards hit a three-pointer to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The first team to score 5 points wins OT. Wembanyama hit a pick-and-pop three-pointer to put Team World up 3-2. Team Stars needed a three-pointer to win the game, and got one when Team World collapsed their defense, lacking the awareness to understand that a 2-pointer would keep them in the game. Scottie Barnes took advantage of the defensive mistake, knocking down a three-pointer to win the game. Wembanyama was not happy. Team Stars won 37-35.

Wembanyama wasn’t the only Spur in the All-Star Game. De’Aaron Fox replaced the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo for his second All-Star appearance. He played for Team Stripes, coached by San Antonio’s head coach, Mitch Johnson. The Stripes were made up of older players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard.

For a while, it looked like the Stripes would run away with the game, coming out determined and playing team basketball, which is rare for the ASG. Fox didn’t check in until the four-minute mark in the 12-minute game, but closed the game out with the other starters. Johnson must have wanted his clutch gene, and the decision paid off, as Fox knocked down the game-winning three-pointer to down the Stars 42-40.

Wemby and Team World took the court to face Fox and the Stripes in the third game. The World needed to win by 3 points to move on to the championship game. Wembanyama did everything he could to get them there, but he was outmatched by a familiar face, former-Spurs Kawhi Leonard.

Wembanyama had 19 points in the game, including two clutch three-pointers down the stretch. The World team simply couldn’t overcome Leonard, who had 31 points in the game, including 11-straight points to give the Stripes the lead mid-way through the game. The game was tied with 25 seconds to go, and Leonard abused a mismatch on the switch that left Karl-Anthony Towns guarding him. He nailed the three, leaving the World team 3 seconds to tie the game. Wembanyama got an open look on a clever inbounds play, but couldn’t convert the three-pointer, eliminating Team World from the tournament with a 48-45 loss to the Stripes. Wembanyama finished the entire ASG with 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

The Spurs still had a chance to come away winners, with Fox and Johnson facing off against Team Stars in the championship game. Team Stripes came out of the game slowly, looking a bit sluggish and tired against the more youthful Stars. The Stars streamrolled the older Stripes to win the ASG championship 47-21. Fox finished the event with 7 points and 3 assists.

Edwards took home the MVP trophy, scoring 32 points on the evening.

The Spurs may not have left All-Star Weekend with any hardware, but they had an entertaining showing, and more importantly, got out of Los Angeles totally healthy for the stretch run. Wembanyama may not have won any games in the All-Star tournament, but his impact on the event was noticeable to fans and players alike.

“It’s a game I personally cherish,” Wembanyama said. “So being competitive is the least I can do.”

Wembanyama and the Spurs put on a show this weekend and will likely be a staple of the events for years to come. Perhaps the event will get back to its former glory thanks to the inspiring effort by San Antonio’s franchise cornerstone.

Texas Tech's bus tires were slashed after the Red Raiders defeated No. 1 Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 14, a Texas Tech spokesperson confirmed to the USA TODAY Network on Feb. 15.

"The team bus had one tired punctured overnight but it was replaced in the morning," the statement read. "There were no disruptions to the team’s travel schedule."

REQUIRED READING: Don't forget Texas Tech when filling out your March Madness bracket

A video circulated social media Feb. 15 of a sharp object puncturing a Texas Tech bus tire after its 78-75 upset win over No. 1 Arizona, which suffered only its second loss of the season. One video of the tires being slashed on X has over 670,000 views.

Jerome Tang is out as Kansas State basketball coach.

The school announced the firing Sunday night, Feb. 15.

“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program," K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”

Bracketology: Latest March Madness projection

At a Sunday night news conference, Taylor said Tang "has been terminated for cause."

The Wildcats are 10-15 this season with a 1-11 record in Big 12 play, which comes a season after final records of 16-17 in 2024-25 and 19-15 in 2023-24.

The decision comes days after Tang's scorched-earth news conference following Kansas State's 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 11, where Wildcats fans were wearing paper bags over their heads. Tang said his players didn't deserve to wear the school's uniforms after the performance.

Jerome Tang rips K-State players: 'These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform.'

Kansas State is coming off a 78-64 loss to Houston on Feb. 14, in which its players had their names removed from their jerseys for the game.

Becoming an All-Star is probably every player’s dream, and some are able to make it a reality as they climb the ranks in the league. This year, Jalen Johnson put himself in that position, averaging 23.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game midway through the season. Not only was he selected to the All-Star Game, but he was right in his hometown, taking in the moment.

The league made sure to keep Johnson busy throughout the week, and the content was flowing from Friday morning to Sunday night.

Day 1: Touching down in LA, Dunk Contest manifestation?

Starting off when he landed in Los Angeles, and he got the first look at his All-Star jersey.

He already had a pair of shoes in mind, and they matched his jersey.

“This is fire. This is dope,” Johnson said.

Johnson seemed to be getting a scope of everything on Day 1, and he happened to run into another Hawks’ faithful, Dominique Wilkins.

Later on in the day, Johnson met up with some young fans to take some pictures and sign autographs. One of the young kids spoke highly of the Hawks’ star, saying he believed in him since he was drafted.

That night is when the festivities began, and Johnson pulled up to the celebrity game to catch some of the world’s stars go up against each other.

Johnson was interviewed by Monica McNutt during the game, and during the segment, Richard Jefferson called him out by saying he doesn’t think he has enough bounce to participate in the dunk contest. In that same breath, Johnson said that he would be in the dunk contest one day.

That was definitely the highlight of the Day 1 for Johnson, and people will remember those words of him putting in a bid for a future dunk contest appearance.

Day 2: Media Day/ Shooting Stars with Team Cameron

Johnson got Day 2 started with pictures, and meeting up with the other All-Stars on the court.

Here was a sneak peak of Johnson’s team.

After pictures, Johnson sat down for Media Day and answered a few questions, talking about his journey into becoming an All-Star, and how the G-League helped him to get where he is today.

The next event on Day 2 for Johnson was the Shooting Stars challenge, where he was a part of Team Cameron that included Kon Knueppel and Corey Maggette.

The team was able to advance to the final round, where they faced off against Team Knicks.

Unfortunately, their score in the final round was not enough to defeat Team Knicks. After the competition, Johnson spoke with the media. He didn’t seem to be happy with his performance.

Day 3: All-Star Game

Day 3 was All-Star Game time, and Johnson came through clean.

Johnson got another feel for his All-Star jersey, but he would be playing in it this time instead of taking pictures.

It was time to put the jerseys on, and Johnson was introduced for his first All-Star Game.

Johnson’s team was first up, and they faced off against Team World. Johnson was the first player to come off the bench for Team Stars.

Johnson was able to do what he does best to get his first points as an All-Star, and that’s filling the lane and getting a dunk.

Johnson created his own opportunity on this one, getting a two-handed flush over Karl-Anthony Towns.

Johnson made plays on the other end as well, getting a big block.

Both teams ended up tying at the end of regulation, and overtime was the first to five points. Team Stars advanced after a Scottie Barnes three-pointer, and their next challenge was against Team Stripes. Johnson finished Game 1 with four points, one assist, and one block.

In Game 2, Johnson knocked a three-pointer, played some defense, and got a dunk.

Anthony Edwards threw up a lob for Johnson.

It was another game that came down to the final possession, and a buzzer-beater three-pointer from Team Stripes led them to victory. Johnson finished Game 2 with five points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal.

Team Stars was still able to advance to the championship, and they were up against Team Stripes once again.

Johnson only got this dunk with a minute remaining, but his team was already up big.

Team Stars walked away with bragging rights, and it was a great way to end the weekend for Johnson in his first time as an All-Star.

During Sunday’s All-Star Game festivities, Jayson Tatum and the NBA on NBC dropped this trailer:

Per the YouTube summary, the five-part documentary:

For the first time in his life, the game that defined Jayson Tatum was taken away by an Achilles injury. The five-part docuseries THE QUIET WORK follows Jayson through the most challenging stretch of his career as he fights to return to the NBA. From the locker room to the hospital room, through rehab and recovery, and ultimately back to the court, this is the unseen side of his journey and the work no one ever witnesses.

Until now.

Paired with the news this weekend that the Celtics’ March 1st home game against visiting Philadelphia 76ers was rescheduled from 6 pm to primetime at 8 pm and air on NBC, the speculation that Tatum is set return soon seems more and more like a reality. He had previously said that his first game back would be at TD Garden.

Earlier in the week, President of Basketball Operations threw some cold water on the rising expectations that JT was just around the corner from stepping back on the floor, saying, “(It’s) best for Jayson Tatum to come back when he’s 110% healthy, he’s fully clear by everybody that matters in that decision and he’s got great peace of mind and ready to do it. That’s it. That’s the objective and that’s what we’re gonna stick with,” Stevens said.

“When we feel 100%, it’ll be his, it’ll be a group getting together and talking, but I think our medical people are really good, I think his doctors are really good, so we’re gonna listen to them, he’s listening to them. I think he and Nick have had an amazing work ethic through this recovery, and when it’s right, then we’ll all sit down and talk about it, but there’s still no force from us, there’s no pressure from us, but there’s also not going to be any of us saying, well, why don’t you take another week? When he’s ready, he’s ready.”

Then, Tatum’s rehab moved to controlled 5-on-5 including a practice with the Maine squad with Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams in tow.

After the workout, Tatum said, “It doesn’t mean I’m coming back or not.” There may still not be a definitive decision made, but all signs — the tea leaves, the media push, the physical ramp up — point to Tatum return on the horizon.

Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker made another All-Star appearance this afternoon for Team USA’s “Stars” squad. He played a three-game roundrobin against Team World and Team Stripes, and finished 2-1 overall to win the event.

The first game against Team World went to overtime, where Booker and company were able to secure a 5-3 victory after a Scottie Barnes three. They lost at the buzzer to Team Stripes, who they would end up facing in the third and final “Championship” game.

Game 1 Line: 5 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 2-5 FG in 9 minutes, +12

Game 2 Line: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-3 FG in 9 minutes, -1

Game 3 Line: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-5 FG in 9 minutes, +22

FINAL LINE: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 5-13 FG in 27 minutes, +33

Devin Booker strarted for Team USA, alongside Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Edwards, and Jalen Duren.

He connected on his first three point attempt, then missed his next two. Booker had a nice dime to Ant, picking up their chemistry for the Olympic run as teammates.

Devin Booker got high praise from NBC’s broadcast, crediting him for Team USA’s Olympic Gold Medal as an “unsung hero” for the defense and smaller role he took on offensively.

He was one of the first ones subbed out as Scottie Barnes and Jalen Johnson made their debuts.

In his second stint, he got another bucket, a board and dropped three more dimes as the game was winding down. He closed the overtime game out with a win to secure game one for Team Stars.

Team Stars advanced to the All-Star Game finals after Team Stripes defeated Team World with a game-winner from Kawhi Leonard.

In the Finals’ opening moments, Devin Booker drilled a three early to open the scoring.

Book had a nice dime on the move to Maxey for a score, then followed that up with this work in the paint. In typical Book fashion, he didn’t rush or force anything and played steady throughout.

Booker and Team Stars secured the championship in a blowout, winning 47-21. A stark difference from the first three games, which all came down to the final possession(s). A solid showing for Devin Booker. He didn’t win MVP (Anthony Edwards took the honors) but he took on that “Olympic Book” role again to help his team take the win(s).

It’s been quite an eventful weekend for Book, as he finished second in the three-point contest yesterday.

Get ready for the 2027 NBA All-Star Game, Suns fans. We’ll be hosting it in our backyard here in DT PHX.

The new All-Star format was a win for the NBA, even though the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lone representative, Donovan Mitchell, didn’t end up on the victorious team.

This year’s showcase was broken up into four mini-games. Mitchell’s veteran USA team, the Stripes, played against a younger USA team, the Stars, and a third team comprised of international players, the World.

Each team played each other in a 12-minute game. The teams with the two best records faced off in a final contest. The Stripes won their first two games, but ran out of gas in the final game against the younger Stars.

Mitchell played a pivotal role in the Stripes’ win over the Stars in their first game for both good and bad reasons.

With the Stripes up two with 23 seconds left, Mitchell was stripped by Anthony Edwards while attempting a spin move around him. Edwards then hit a transition three to give the Stars a one-point lead with 20 seconds to play.

Mitchell atoned on the final possession. Down one, with under 10-seconds left, Mitchell darted inside, got a pass from LeBron James, and promptly hit an open De’Aaron Fox in the corner for the buzzer-beating game winner.

Mitchell finished that game with six points on 2-3 shooting with three assists and two turnovers in his team’s 42-40 victory over the Stars.

The Stripes followed that up with a narrow 48-45 win over the World in their second outing.

Kawhi Leonard took control of that game, going 11-13 from the field for 31 points and two steals in the 12-minute game. This included hitting the game-winning triple with three seconds left.

Mitchell didn’t play as large a role in the second game. He didn’t attempt a shot, but was able to provide a block on Alperen Sengun.

The veteran-laden Stripes came undone in the final game against the younger USA team. James, Kevin Durant, and Leonard were all a step slow after playing three-straight games, and their two younger starters, Jalen Brunson and Jaylen Brown, did little to help.

The Stripes were down 26-9 halfway through the 12-minute game by the time Mitchell checked in. They went on to lose 47-21 with Mitchell providing six points in the contest.

Overall, Mitchell combined for 12 points on 4-7 shooting with three assists in 17 minutes across the three games.

Anthony Edwards received the Kobe Bryant Trophy for All-Star Game MVP.

This new All-Star format was fun. It was a definite win over some of the previous iterations with this resembling a basketball game for most of the night. The first three games were entertaining, before the event ran out of steam at the end.

Still, this was a clear step up from how unwatchable the All-Star Game has been in recent years.

The NBA found some (unexpected?) success with its new All-Star format on Sunday, even if it ended in a bit of a dud.

Luka Dončić and LeBron James took part in the three-team, USA vs. World format for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game which saw a trio of really exciting games before an underwhelming championship game.

LeBron’s Team Stripes won back-to-back games to earn a spot in the title game, but ran out of steam in the final, losing to the much younger Team Stars. Team World lost to each USA team in close contests. Luka did play in the first game, but only played a short stint before sitting out the remainder of the night.

Luka had a layup early in the first game between Team World and Team Stars after leaking out on a fastbreak. He played just past the five-minute mark of the first game before checking out.

The game had a little more intensity to it than previous versions, largely thanks to Victor Wembanyama setting the tone. Cade Cunningham, Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards matched that for Team Stars and the result a close contest in the final minutes.

Ant knocked down a three with 13 seconds left to tie the game, forcing overtime. In a race to five points, a jumper from Ant and a 3-pointer from Scottie Barnes sandwiched a Wemby 3-pointer to give Team Stars the win.

Jamal Murray, in his first All-Star appearance, finished 0-6 and was a -14 in a game his team lost by two.

Team Stars stayed on the court as a result of the win to play Team Stripes and LeBron in the second game.

Kevin Durant opened the game with a three off a LeBron assist before LeBron added one of his own minutes later. The surest sign of an increased effort level was LeBron being fouled on an attempted offensive rebound putback.

Led by Kawhi Leonard and Jaylen Brown, Team Stripes built up a lead. While Team Stars closed it to two points in the final minutes, a 3-pointer from Donovan Mitchell added some more space between the sides and a LeBron logo three made it a six-point lead.

However, a couple of quick baskets preceded a steal and a pull-up 3-pointer in transition from Ant, giving Team Stars the lead with under 20 seconds left. With the game on the line, Team Stripes moved the ball around with De’Aaron Fox splashing home an open three at the buzzer.

Team Stripes stayed on the floor for the final game of the round robin format to take on Team World. Luka did not start or play in the game.

Kawhi raced out of the gate with eight of the first 10 points in a back-and-forth game. Wemby took matters into his own hands to give Team World a lead. Jalen Brunson scored eight points in a hurry to try to answer Wemby’s surge.

With a Laker on the team across from him, Murray actually played like an All-Star this game, scoring eight points early as Team World opened up a 27-20 lead.

Out of a timeout, Kawhi was unconscious, hitting three straight threes to tie the game before a baseline jumper for 11 straight points to give Team Stripes the lead.

Team World came back into the game to tie it on a free throw. Kawhi threw down a dunk on one end before Wemby hit a three in response. Norman Powell made it a three-point lead before an and-one by Kawhi tied it again.

A LeBron putback dunk with 30 seconds remaining put Team Stripes up, but two Wemby freebies tied it again. Kawhi put his final stamp on the game with a stepback three over Wemby to put Team Stripes up three with 3.5 seconds left.

Wemby had an open look to tie the game at the buzzer but missed, eliminating Team World from the competition and setting up a Team Stripes and Team Stars final.

Playing in their third straight game, Team Stripes fell behind 12-1 in the opening minutes, forcing a timeout. After missing their first 10 shots, LeBron finally converted on a fastbreak dunk for Team Stripes’ first field goal.

LeBron and Brunson then hit 3-pointers, but Jalen Duren was punishing Team Stripes and their lack of centers while Ant took over with eight-straight points, making it 26-9 and forcing another timeout.

Team Stars’ run eventually reached 15-0 as the game was never close, as they won going away, 47-21. Anthony Edwards was named the MVP.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.