Devin Booker's world, Damian Lillard rare double winner: Takeaways from NBA All-Star weekend

INDIANAPOLIS – The NBA All-Star Game put up historic numbers Sunday night.

The East won, 211-186, over the West in scoring the most points in an All-Star game with Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard winning All-Star Game MVP.

Hitting half-court shots with ease, Lillard finished with 39 points going an insane 11-of-23 from deep in his first All-Star start. He became only the second player in NBA history to win an event Saturday and the All-Star game MVP Sunday in the same year.

The first? Michael Jordan in 1988 (slam dunk, MVP).

Lillard was one of three players on the East squad to score at least 30 points Sunday. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown registered 36 points off the bench while Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton dropped 15 of his 32 points right out the box to get the hometown sellout crowd of 17,251 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse going.

Timberwolves big Karl-Anthony Towns led all scorers with 50 points, five short of the All-Star game record set by Celtics guard Jayson Tatum, who scored 55 last year.

Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant scored 18 points and Devin Booker accounted for 15 points. Here are takeaways from this year’s All-Star weekend.

Still not competitive

The elements were in place for a more competitive game.

LeBron James playing in a record 20th All-Star game. Young players with fresh legs like Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes and Tyrese Maxey. The latter three were first-time All-Stars.

Still having Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James and Durant in the game. Paul George making a return to Indiana. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver calling for a more competitive matchup.

Haliburton's fast start of hitting his first five 3s brought the necessary energy and fired up the Indy crowd, but as the game progressed, the players didn't look to defend, particularly in transition.

Then once Lillard got cooking, the East took command and never looked back.

The crowd was quiet for most of the second half, proving just because the ball is going in the basket at a crazy rate doesn't mean it's entertaining. Lillard even admitted there were too many leakouts for open transition opportunities.

Here's the deal. Players aren't trying to get hurt.

Heat big Bam Adebayo literally said Saturday he was looking to have fun and avoid injury Sunday. Then after the game, Booker said it's hard to find the balance of competing and staying healthy, but believes players are more focused on their own teams than playing in the All-Star game.

In addition, Lillard made a point the game is at an all-time high in terms of shot making. Durant even admitted it's tough to play defense when guys are shooting "40 footers."

Still, the game should be more competitive – and fewer 3-point attempts, please. Everyone loves the deep ball, but 168 hoists from 3 to set a record for most combined by both teams? The East set a record for 3s in the All-Star game with 97 to break the record of 90 set in 2019 by Team LeBron. That was the same year both teams combined for 167 3-point attempts.

Booker’s world

Booker had himself a weekend even before the game.

With the release of his Nike Book 1 signature shoe Saturday, Nike had Booker Megatron-size billboards all over downtown Indianapolis.

The shoe is two years in the making, but Booker’s journey to this point in his career began way back in Grand Rapid, Mich., as a kid dreaming of playing in the NBA.

Now he’s one of the best in the game, a four-time All-Star with his own signature shoe.

Life is oh so good for Booker right now.

Jaylen Brown’s 65-game rule comments

Brown was first trying to finesse his way through addressing a question about the 65-game rule for major postseason awards like MVP and All-NBA.

“It’s tough because honestly, I do believe that if you win any type of award, I think you should have to play a significant amount of the season,” Brown said after Saturday’s practice.

Then he said 65 games was “a little too severe,” suggesting “58” or a little less than 65.

Uh oh.

Brown’s comments set social media ablaze. Fuming, fans went back to the whole players are making too much money and not playing enough games anyway.

Considering Brown has the richest contract in franchise history at $304 million over five years, his comments felt even more offensive to the fan who already has issues with the players for their riches.

Keep this in mind. Brown has played in 50 of Boston’s 55 games this season, but he’s also a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, which agreed to this rule as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

While this is a sensitive subject for the players, they did agree to it after years of load management. The fans were already irritated with players missing games.

Brown’s comments further fueled their disappointment.

Great, historic shooting at NBA All-Star Saturday night

Lillard winning a second straight 3-point contest, on the final shot nonetheless, was the highlight of the night – before Sabrina vs. Stephen.

Sabrina Ionescu challenged Stephen Curry to a 3-point contest, he accepted the challenge and together, they put on a show that eclipsed everything that happened before and after Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Ionescu started hot to get the crowd going and ended up with 26 points, but Curry responded with 29 points. Passing her total on the final rack, Curry did a dance afterward, but how he and Ionescu celebrated the historic moment and each other was special.

Players play. Shooters shoot. Period.

Would love to see this again next year, especially with the 2025 NBA All-Star game being in San Francisco and Ionescu being from Walnut Creek, Calif. Even if it’s not a Sabrina vs. Stephen rematch, find a way to incorporate the WNBA into the festivities like they used to do.

As for the dunk contest, Mac McClung did his thing in winning it for a second straight year. Much respect to the G League, but overall, the dunk contest just isn’t cutting it.

Everybody feels like they need to jump over somebody. What the contest needs is someone who can glide through the air like a Dr. J., Michael Jordan or Zach Lavine or someone with the most ridiculous hops like Vince Carter with a high level of creativity.

Where is that guy?

Babyface and Jennifer Hudson did that thang

Legendary R&B singer Babyface’s rendition of the national anthem with a guitar was so elegant and classy. Rocking the shades, Babyface is the epitome of cool.

Then Jennifer Hudson brought it with the Winston Salem’s Red Sea of Sound marching band at halftime.

Great performances have always been a part of NBA All-Star weekends.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Devin Booker's world, Damian Lillard double winner: Takeaways from NBA All-Star weekend