CLEVELAND — The host Cleveland Cavaliers were the first winners of the revamped Skills Challenge.
Rookie Evan Mobley gave his team a victory by nailing a half-court shot on his first attempt, allowing the Cavs to close out the final portion of the contest in 5.5 seconds.
All-Stars Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland were the other members of the winning team to kick off All-Star Saturday.
We just keep collecting hardware 🏆#NBAAllStar | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/l2oeozm7gc
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 20, 2022
The rookie squad, including No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham of Detroit, Scottie Barnes of Toronto and Josh Giddey of Oklahoma City, was the runner-up in the contest combining shooting, passing and dribbling.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers Thanasis and Alex finished third.
The Antetokounmpo brothers clearly enjoyed competing together as a team. There were engaged and all smiles from the outset of the challenge. They were asking the referees for a video review of the end of the passing portion of the event.