In case you missed it: we are dropping a quick recap of the 2021 NBA All-Star events because it was… well, quick.

Instead of the usual full weekend of festivities, the 2021 NBA All-Star events took place in one wild night of elite skill and hoops. The Skills Competition and 3-Point Contest took place first, followed immediately by the All-Star game itself. The Dunk Contest was held at halftime.

The Skills Competition only featured six competitors with two getting a first-round bye. One was Luka Doncic because he was an All-Star starter and expected to log big minutes. The other was Chris Paul because… he’s old. Despite the byes, Luka and CP3 fell to rolling big men, Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic. Pacers forward Sabonis would go on to take the title.

Next up was the 3-Point Contest, which wound up being one of the best parts of the night. There was a great field of competitors as usual and multiple shooters brought their A-game.

Mike Conley filled in admirably for the injured Devin Booker, putting up great scores in both rounds. However, it would be the unreal shooting of Steph Curry that would take the night. It came down to Curry’s final shot to overtake Conley, which he drained in classic Chef Curry fashion.

As we mentioned, the Dunk Contest was sandwiched between halves of the All-Star game. The contest featured rookies Cassius Stanley and Obi Toppin as well as second-year guard, Anfernee Simons of the Trailblazers.

Not much star-power to be had here, but plenty of bounce. Unfortunately, the dunk contest can be hit-or-miss and this one was a bit more in the miss column. Cassius Stanley looked impressive but played it safe. Toppin and Simons jumped high but did not get the (limited) crowd out of their seats. In the end, Simons won the judge’s favor with his (almost) kissing the rim slam.

Anyone who stopped and took much stock of the Team LeBron and Team Durant rosters had a feeling that it may be a bit lopsided. During the draft of the players, Durant admitted he had no plan and that may have cost his team. Team LeBron won every quarter, racking up big bucks for their charity.

Philadelphia 76ers stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were forced to miss the contest due to last-minute COVID contact tracing. Team Durant could have used MVP candidate Embiid (and Durant himself, who is injured). Team LeBron featured starters: Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. Unstoppable.

For those that cannot watch the video highlights - the first half featured high flying and deep-bomb fun. Damian Lillard, Steph Curry, and Chris Paul each caught consecutive alley-oop slams and Curry and Lillard also unleashed barrages of deep, deep threes for Team LeBron. First-time All-Star, Zion Williamson mysteriously started the game 0 for 4 on dunks for Team Durant.

The second half featured less exciting sequences and Curry no-look follow-throughs but rounded out the night nicely. Giannis Antetokounmpo went 16 for 16 from the field (including two banked-in threes) en route to MVP honors.

Historically black colleges and universities were recipients of most of the charity and were highlighted all night. The condensed style of the contests was refreshing, though it is up for debate whether or not it was an improvement. The Rising Stars game was certainly missed.

That is a quick rundown! The NBA and basketball organizations at all levels continue to navigate unprecedented circumstances and hopefully, the light at the end of the tunnel is growing near. For more Around the NBA action as well as all things hoops - keep it locked right here!