Bucks' Damian Lillard named MVP of 2024 NBA All-Star Game - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — It was Dame time all NBA All-Star Weekend long.

The Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard was named All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, scoring 39 points to lead the Eastern Conference to a 211-186 win over the West in the highest-scoring midseason exhibition to date.

He joined Michael Jordan in 1988 as the only other player in league history to win a Saturday night event and be named MVP in the same All-Star weekend.

«Anytime you're mentioned in the same category as Mike it's an honor, it's a major accomplishment, even if it's All-Star Weekend,» Lillard said during his postgame news conference with the Kobe Bryant MVP trophy placed on the table in front of him. «Because if it was that simple, more people would have done it.»

Lillard won the 3-point contest Saturday, edging the Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns and the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young in the final round. Jordan won the dunk contest in 1988.

Towns had a noble effort as a runner-up on Sunday, too, leading the West with 50 points in 28 minutes — becoming just the fourth player in All-Star history to reach the 50-point plateau. However, Lillard had more competition for the award from his East teammates in Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton and Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown.

Haliburton, the hometown favorite, finished with 32 points on 11-for-15 shooting, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Haliburton outscored the West singlehandedly 15-14 to start, going 5-for-5 from the field before missing the heat check from 34 feet away.

Brown had 36 points on 15-for-23 shooting and 8 rebounds, and his late third-quarter surge regained control of the game for the East after the West came within 12.

Lillard received 7 out of 12 votes for the award and