Donovan Mitchell put out a respectable outing in Los Angeles for the 3-Point Contest while sporting a Jaylon Tyson Cleveland Cavaliers’ jersey. However, Mitchell came up in fourth place with 24 points. Mitchell was eliminated at the last minute by eventual champion Damian Lillard who scored 27 points.
Mitchell went second in the order and at the time his 24 points did not appear to be anything to inspire confidence. That was until the rest of the participants went and Mitchell’s score was pretty solid
by comparison. Behind Mitchell was Norman Powell (23 points), Tyrese Maxey (17 points), Jamaal Murray (18 points) , and Bobby Portis (15 points).
Donovan Mitchell had to watch from the courtside seats as Damian Lillard, Kon Knueppel, and Devin Booker battled for the 3-Point Contest title in the final round. Knueppel finished with 17 points, while Lillard poured in 29, leaving Booker as the final shooter with a chance to win. Entering his money rack with 23 points, Booker appeared to have the contest in hand. He knocked down his first two shots to reach 27, but missed the final three attempts, ultimately conceding the title to Lillard.
Although Mitchell fell short in the contest, there is still an opportunity for a member of the Cavaliers to leave All-Star Weekend with a victory as part of the USA Stripes squad. He’ll join a veteran group that includes Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and De’Aaron Fox.
This year marks a new approach to the NBA All-Star Game format. In Game 1, Team USA Stars — made up of younger American All-Stars like Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, and Tyrese Maxey — will face Team World. The winner of that matchup will advance to play USA Stripes in Game 2, while the loser will also face USA Stripes in Game 3. After the first three games, the two teams with the best records will meet in Game 4 to determine the champions.
