Evan Mobley #4 of Team Cavs reacts with teammate Darius Garland #10 during the Taco Bell Skills Challenge as part of the 2022 All-Star Weekend at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 19, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Evan Mobley hit a halfcourt shot as part of the Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend, giving Team Cavs the victory Saturday night at Cleveland.
Team Cavs needed one basket in the halfcourt shot phase and Mobley drained it. After Jarrett Allen missed wide left, Mobley swished the team’s second attempt, so the group didn’t even have to use the rest of its attempts.
Earlier, Darius Garland and Mobley of the hometown Cavaliers combined to give Team Cavs the early lead in the skills competition in the jump shot portion of the event.
🏆 The young @cavs trio win the #TacoBellSkills in Cleveland as Evan Mobley comes up CLUTCH knocking down the half-court winner in under 5 seconds! #LetEmKnow@_bigjayy_@dariusgarland22@evanmobley pic.twitter.com/CctYpGRbZX
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 20, 2022
Still, Team Rooks — comprised of rookies Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey — surged into the lead with 200 points compared with 100 points each for Team Cavs and Team Antetokounmpos.
Team Cavs made it to the final when Garland hit a 3-pointer to break the tie with Team Antetokounmpos.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a solid beginning in the shooting category.
This was a new event that featured three three-man teams. It involved shooting, passing, a relay and, as the final, the half-court shooting drill.