CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 16: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the Taco Bell Skills Challenge as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images/AFP
Boston’s Jayson Tatum hit a 3-pointer from just beyond midcourt to beat Atlanta’s Trae Young in the final round of the skills competition at All-Star Saturday night.
Tatum defeated Memphis’ Mike Conley in the first round, then topped Denver’s Nikola Jokic in the semifinals.
Tatum was slightly behind Young going into the 3-pointer, the final shot of the event, and decided he needed to try the long shot to get one in before Young could shoot for the title.
Tatum says the trophy will go to his mother’s home. He says he was “just out here trying to have fun. I threw one up and it went in.”
Jokic defeated Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, Young beat Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and Dallas’ Luka Doncic topped the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma in other first-round matchups. Young beat Doncic in the semifinals.