Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum shine on All-Star Weekend

Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum competed in All-Star Weekend, taking on the 3-Point Contest and playing in the All-Star Game.

It was Brown’s first All-Star selection and Tatum’s second. The two both made their impact felt on All-Star Weekend – Tatum made it to the final round in the 3-Point Contest, placing third, and scored 21 points with seven assists and four steals in the All-Star Game, Brown scored 22 points with five rebounds for Team Lebron and was eliminated in the first round of the 3-Point Contest.

After Domantas Sabonis took home the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the Jays opened up the Mt. Dew 3-Point Contest. They were introduced back-to-back before the 3-Point Contest began.

Brown went first, and initially came out of the gates strong. Brown hit 2/5 of his shots on the first rack and then 3/5 on the second, giving him five early points.

After missing the first Mt. Dew Ball, which are worth three points, Brown underperformed on the crucial money rack. He hit 1/5 of his shots and even drew contact from the rack.

Brown ended strong on the final rack, hitting the last four shots in a row. Brown ended the round at 17, and Tatum stepped up next.

Tatum came out firing, hitting the first four shots. He made the first, fourth and money ball on the second rack, scoring eight points on the first two racks.

After missing the first Mt. Dew shot like Brown, Tatum hit the first four of his shots at the top of the key, but missed the money ball.

Just like Brown, Tatum made the second Mt. Dew ball and then hit all four one-point balls on the second wing location. Going into the money ball rack with 19 points, Tatum had a chance at a 30-point round.

Tatum missed the first two, then recovered and hit the last three to finish with 25.

Zach LaVine and Donovan Mitchell eliminated Brown quickly, both scoring 22. Then, Mike Conley secured a bid to the final round with Tatum when he scored 25. Stephen Curry dazzled as only he can, scoring 31 points and hitting at most nine shots in a row.

Tatum went first in the final round, but struggled to find his shot as the round went on. He missed every single money ball in the rack, finishing with a 17.

After Conley and Steph lit up the first round, it was clear Tatum was soon to be eliminated.

Conley caught fire and scored 27, eliminating Tatum. The contest came down to Curry and the final rack, as the 2015 champion won by hitting four shots in a row, scoring 28 for his second title.

In the All-Star Game, Tatum started on Team Durant, while Brown came off the bench for Team LeBron.

Tatum opened the game on defense with a steal on Nikola Jokic, then assisted his former teammate Kyrie Irving for a deep three. He then connected with former Duke Blue Devil Zion Williamson on a lob.

Brown entered the All-Star Game for the first time with 3:23 remaining in the first quarter. He scored quickly on a lob from Chris Paul, and even made his first All-Star mistake as he closed out on a Vucevic jumper.

Brown hit a three of his own late in the first, and also missed a stepback three to end the first quarter.

In the second quarter, both Jays saw the court at the same time, and went head-to-head on the court, with Brown against all odds drawing a foul on his teammate.

The one-on-one had Tatum slapping the floor as his teammate got the iso.

Tatum finished the second half with 13 points, third most on Team Durant behind Irving (15) and Bradley Beal (14). Brown finished with 12, putting him at fourth in first-half points for Team LeBron.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (26) scored the most points in the first half, as Team LeBron won both first and second quarters. Curry had 22 points, dunked and hit a half-court shot. Damian Lillard scored 16 and hit a half-court shot of his own.

Brown and Team LeBron led at the half in a first half blowout, 100-80.

Following a halftime dunk contest which crowned Anfernee Simons champion, Tatum was on the floor to start the second half. He scored the first three points in the third quarter on a corner three.

Brown saw the court again after a long absence with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Immediately again he hit a three – this time in the face of James Harden, the man many said Danny Ainge should trade him for.

Shortly after, he hit a ridiculous turnaround 3-pointer in Julius Randle’s face that only can be described as disrespectful.

The modified fourth quarter began with Team Lebron up 146-125, needing a target score of 170. In the fourth, Brown hit a 3-pointer, took a foul from Zach LaVine and converted the four-point play.

Tatum had another three late in the fourth, but Brown and Team LeBron came out with the 170-150 win, and Antetokounmpo was named 2021 Kobe Bryant MVP.