O Skill raceas usual, he opened the game on Saturday NBA All-Star Weekend 2023. The winning team in Utah was Utah Jazzwho beat out the Antetokounmpo brothers (with Jrue Holiday filling in for Giannis) and the rookies.
Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton They formed the winning team. Second were the rookies with Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jaden Ivey.
Team Jazz wins 2023 #KiaSkills Challenge! 🏆#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/5rxOG2wLVU
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2023
The three teams competed in three rounds, adding up “Challenge Points” acquired by winning those rounds. The two teams with the most points after those first three days qualified for the final of the Skills Competition..
First there was one team placement round: all players on each team participated in a timed relay. Each player had to complete a course with five skills in the following order: 1) chest pass to a moving target on the baseline, 2) dribble down the court through three moving posts, 3) short shot in the paint, 4) 3- pointer from the corner against an automated defender and 5) dribbling to the opposite rim and scoring a shot. The team with the fastest time won the round and 100 Challenge Points.
Antetokounmpo’s team went first, which he took 83 seconds. Then the rookie team was taken 74.1 seconds, about 8.9 seconds less, thanks to a stellar finish by Jaden Ivey. The Utah Jazz team could not improve at that time and the 100 points went to the rookies.
Jaden Ivey finishes the team relay round strong for Team Rooks #KiaSkills… they lead early!#StateFarmSaturday underway on TNT pic.twitter.com/8UQsXSdEnB
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2023
Then there was one passing around by teams, with all players together. Each team had 30 seconds to complete passes to three moving targets that varied in size and distance.. Each team had to complete at least one pass on each goal, and a player could not make consecutive passes on the same goal. Each pass made in each goal added a different value (2, 4 and 6 points). The team with the most points would get 100 challenge points.
Team Antetokounmpo started with 84 points, but the victory in the round went to the Utah Jazz team with 88 points and rookie Walker Kessler as his figurehead. The rookies were last with 78 points.
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The third and final round was a round of launch by teams, the three players of each team having their moment and their teammates going to the rebounds: each player had 30 seconds to shoot from five different locations on the field, ranging from 10 feet (3 meters) to 30 feet (9.1 meters). Could not repeat the same throw consecutively. Shots scored at each location added a different value (from 1 to 5). Each player’s individual scores were added together to determine each team’s final score. and the winner would add 300 challenge points.
Team Antetokounmpo barely got eight points, without Alex being able to score. The rookies were worse, with only three points added at the buzzer. Utah Jazz easily won this round, accumulating 13 pointsand then Clarkson, Kessler and Sexton were the event champions.
Team Jazz wins the team shot round to win #KiaSkills!#StateFarmSaturday on TNT pic.twitter.com/SBDltATtwi
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 19, 2023
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This was the second time the Skills Race was held in a team format: last year the winners were Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen representing the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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