Maxey scored nine points, while Edwards and Chet Holmgren each contributed eight as the youthful Stars squad overwhelmed the veteran-heavy Stripes in the championship matchup at Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
“We chose to compete today and we came out on top,” said Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard who was named NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
The Stars set the tone early, opening the final with a 12-1 run fueled by seven points from Maxey. The Stripes struggled out of the gate, missing their first 10 field-goal attempts. The Stars later unleashed a decisive 15-0 run to build a 33-9 lead, effectively putting the game out of reach.
For the Stripes, Donovan Mitchell scored six points, while NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James — appearing in a record 22nd All-Star Game — added five in the final.
This year’s All-Star event featured a revamped format, replacing the traditional two-team contest with a four-team tournament consisting of four 12-minute games. The field included two U.S. squads — the Stars and the Stripes — along with a World team showcasing international talent.
The new structure appeared to address longstanding concerns about limited effort in previous All-Star Games, delivering greater intensity, defensive energy and competitive spirit.
“I know a lot of people have been concerned about the All-Star Game, not seeing as much effort. Today we saw it,” said former U.S. President Barack Obama, who watched from courtside. “Whenever you get an international team against an American team, they want to compete — and you’ve got some young guys I think want to prove something out here.”
Earlier in the tournament, the Stripes edged the World 48-45 in the round-robin finale to secure their place in the championship. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 31 points, including the decisive three-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining. Leonard connected on six of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.
“I made my first one, kept on from there and they just kept falling,” Leonard said.
Victor Wembanyama paced the World with 19 points and delivered a strong all-around performance, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks in one of the tournament’s most intense contests.
“I ain’t going to lie, Wemby set the tone,” Edwards said. “He came out hard and we had to follow that. We had to pick it up and we did that.”
In another dramatic matchup, Edwards forced overtime with a game-tying three-pointer at 32-32. Under the tournament’s rules, the first team to score five points in overtime would win. Edwards scored inside, Wembanyama responded with a three-pointer, and Barnes sealed the victory with the game-winning basket.
“Once it got a little tight, the competition picked up, guys wanted to win,” said World’s Norman Powell. “We were going to compete every single possession.”
Game two also produced late-game excitement, as De’Aaron Fox drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Stripes to a 42-40 win over the Stars. Edwards had given the Stars a 40-39 lead moments earlier before Fox answered from the left wing.
“You live for these moments,” James said. “That’s a big-time play for us older heads… We know how to keep our heads and execute.”
Jaylen Brown scored 11 points and James added eight to guide the Stripes in that contest, while Edwards and Cade Cunningham each finished with 11 points for the Stars.
