Westbrook was one point away from tying Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 42 in an All-Star Game
After arguably one of the best All-Star Weekends I’ve ever watched, I’ve got only one complaint. Well, maybe not a complaint, more of a request, a favor if you will. Does All-Star Weekend really have to fall on the same weekend as Valentines? I mean come on; who engineered this plan? It’s hard enough to get away with watching basketball all-day on Christmas, but convincing my girlfriend that V-Day is the perfect day to watch the All-Star game is a much different story. So Mr. Silver sir, what do you say? Can you do us ‘Basketball loving romantics’ a solid and move the weekend forward one week?
While we’re waiting to hear back, why not take a gander at this week’s By The Numbers: All-Star Champions edition?
41: The amount of points Russell Westbrook scored during the All-Star game
Westbrook’s MVP performance in the All-Star game this past Sunday was something special. He fell only one point shy of the all-time record, set by Wilt Chamberlain back in 1962. Westbrook scored 41 points on 16-of-26 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from three. He also chipped in with five rebounds, three steals and one assist. Oh, and the 27 points he had by halftime, it was a new NBA record. Need I say more?
Westbrook is one of the best players in the league and in fantasy basketball. This season, he’s averaging 25.8 points, 7.6 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals on .431 shooting from the field and .830 from the free-throw line. Let’s be real, everyone counted the Thunder out and you can be sure there isn’t a team in the West that wants the Thunder in the first round.
27: Stephen Curry’s score in the final round of the Three-Point Shootout
In the 2012-13 season Curry broke the single-season three-point record with 272 and in the following season he sunk a league best 261 threes on .424 shooting. This season he’s tied for the league lead (161) and will likely pull away down the stretch. Curry is the greatest shooter I’ve ever seen, no question. Like the great shooters before him, Curry’s Three-Point Shootout victory only furthers the idea that he belongs beside the likes of Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.
This season Curry and his Warriors are rolling, which is exactly why he’s an MVP favorite. That and the fact that he’s averaging 23.6 points, 7.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game while shooting .481 from the field, .399 from three and .900 from the stripe. If the Warriors end up with the best record in the NBA at season’s end, I wouldn’t be surprised if Curry wins the MVP this season – although I’m sure he’d much rather win a title.
45: The lowest score Zach LaVine received during the dunk competition
It’s almost hard to believe how amazing Zach LaVine’s dunks were on Saturday. I personally jumped out of my seat each time he threw it down. I couldn’t get over how high and effortless he was leaping, almost as if he wasn’t going to land. After scoring a perfect 50 on his first two dunks, he moved onto the final round against Magic guard Victor Oladipo. Even with Oladipo doing everything he could, LaVine was just too much, receiving a 45 and 49 on his final two dunks of the competition. In my opinion I think he deserved 50’s on both of his second round dunks too.
On the season, LaVine is averaging 7.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting .414 from the field. Now I know that’s not incredible, but considering he’s only 19 and will have the pleasure of playing with Andrew Wiggins (barring a trade) for the next few years, I’d say the future is looking pretty bright for LaVine and the Timberwolves.
22: The amount of points Andrew Wiggins scored in the BBVA Rising Stars game
As a Canadian, I was glad to see the World beat the USA in the BBVA Rising Stars game, but I was even more pleased to see Wiggins win the MVP. He led the team with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the stripe. Wiggins also had six rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in this game. If team USA had won, it’s possible that Victor Oladipo or teammate Zach LaVine could have taken home the MVP. Unfortunately for them, Wiggins and team World were much better on Friday night.
This season Wiggins is averaging 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. If you’re lucky enough to already own Wiggins, hold on to him. Flip Saunders is only going to play him more as the season progresses. Congrats again Wiggins, well-deserved MVP, get used to it.
3: Straight years the NBA Shooting Stars Competition has been won by Team Bosh
The Shooting Stars competition doesn’t exactly garner the same kind of excitement as the Three-Point Shootout, but witnessing ‘Team Bosh’ win for the third-straight year is quite impressive. When you think about it, in order to win, a player has to hit a half-court shot which is not the easiest thing to do. Well, unless your name is Chris Bosh or Dominique Wilkins. Both players sunk a half court shot, Bosh in the first round and Wilkins in the final.
Despite some injuries, Bosh is having a great season this year, averaging 21.1 points, seven rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on .460 shooting from the field, .375 from three and .772 from the free-throw line.
Riley Jones is a correspondent and NBA editor at FantasyPros. To read more from Riley, check out his archive and follow him @RyJones4.
