Other All-Star Game notes
While Antetokounmpo and Middleton were the story of the night from a Bucks perspective, the All-Star Game certainly provided plenty of great moments across the contest.
Arguably at the top of that list was the recognition both Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade received throughout the weekend, in what’s likely shaping up to be both of their final seasons (Wade’s confirmed that, while Nowitzki has played coy about the topic of retirement), and they both repaid that by shining in their abbreviated cameos, respectively.
Nowitzki went a perfect 3-of-3 from downtown while Wade had seven points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field with four assists, and turned back the clock to throw up an alley-oop lob off the backboard to LeBron James, reminiscent of the all-time highlight they had against the Bucks during the height of their “Big 3” era.
Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant came home with All-Star MVP honors by leading Team LeBron with 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field (6-of-9 from downtown), seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He’s now the 14th player in All-Star Game history to be a multi-time MVP winner.
Lastly, while Charlotte native Anthony Hamilton put his own spin on the Star Spangled Banner to kick off the night’s festivities, it wasn’t quite as Fergilicious as last year’s rendition.
With this year’s All-Star weekend officially a wrap, we’ll have to see what’s in store when the league hits the Windy City for the 2020 edition where the Bucks will surely be represented in some fashion.