NBA All-Star Game: Anthony Davis Wins it For Team LeBron From the Free Throw Line

It was an Anthony Davis free throw that eventually won the 2020 NBA All-Star game for Team LeBron on Sunday.

Davis made the United center nervous when he missed first of his two free throws in the dying embers of the game. But he made it up in his second attempt, winning the game for his team.

“I told my team I was going to miss the first one and put a little more pressure on myself here at home,” Davis told the TNT broadcast after the game. “So, I made the miss look good. Back rim. And then I went up to the line, crowd going crazy, Team Giannis booing me … so I just wanted to make sure I put a little extra pressure on myself and knock down the second one.”

New format making the NBA All-Star game interesting

Honing a new format this year, the All-Star game heated up in the final quarter. Instead of a traditional 12-minute quarter, the final quarter was to be played until one of the teams reaches the target score of 24 points (a tribute to Kobe Bryant) more than the leading team.

The game started with a 50-point first quarter for LeBron James‘ team. Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. came back in the second quarter. The third quarter ended in a thrilling 41-41 draw. This is when the game heated up.

At the end of three quarters, the score read 133-124 in favour of Team LeBron leaving the teams to chase 157 points for a win. The teams leveled it at 150 points each and it was a closely fought final seven points.

Davis finally won the All-Star game for his team from the free-throw line to earn the $300,000 bonus for its Chicago charity.

Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard won the first Kobe Bryant MVP trophy for his 30 points.