Giannis Antetokounmpo provides fireworks at NBA All-Star Game but his team comes up short

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

LOS ANGELES - After catching flak for lackluster effort — mostly on the defensive end — in past NBA All-Star Games, the league got the dramatic, down-to-the-wire thriller it was hoping for on Sunday night at the Staples Center.

There was a full-court press in the final seconds of the first half. At crunch time, players lobbied for a review of an out-of-bounds call. There were timeouts to strategize, clutch plays and high intensity.

A glorified dunk show in the past, this iteration more closely resembled real basketball than past All-Star Games. Everyone on the court clearly wanted to win while playing under a new format with teams selected by captains, higher game checks on the line for the winning team as well as a charity component, with the winning team's charity of choice receiving a larger donation.

"I think the whole game was competitive," Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan said. "It just got more and more competitive as the game went on, especially in that fourth quarter. It was a full-out, real-life game, and it was fun. I think this All-Star Game was definitely one of the best ones I've been part of. With the new format, guys took it extremely serious, you know, being able to play with guys from different conferences and go out there and compete was everything."

Team Stephen, picked by Golden State's Stephen Curry and including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, led for much of the night, owning an advantage as large as 15 points. But down the stretch, Team LeBron captain LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers refused to let his team stay down.

The two teams stuck within a basket of each other for the final four minutes, with Team LeBron coming up with clutch plays — including a last-second stop — to claim a 148-145 victory. James had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and was named the game's MVP for the third time in his career.

BOX SCORE:Team Lebron 148, Team Stephen 145

Antetokounmpo finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. He made his biggest impact in the second quarter, contributing nine of his points in that period.

In the fourth, Antetokounmpo capped his scoring with an emphatic dunk that put Team Stephen up by three with 2:48 on the clock. He hoped to add to that total, but was part of a key missed opportunity with under a minute left.

With Team LeBron ahead by one and under 20 seconds remaining, DeRozan drove the lane and looked to have a good look for a layup. He instead opted to fire off a pass to Antetokounmpo, who was cutting toward the hoop along the baseline.

That pass didn't connect, coming in too hot for Antetokounmpo to have a chance at catching it as it flew out of bounds. Team LeBron guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder then deposited a layup, setting up a final chance for Team Stephen.

With the game on the line, it was Team LeBron's defense that won the day. They swarmed each of Team Curry's many three-point shooters, eventually trapping Curry and DeRozan in the corner, with DeRozan hoisting his attempt after the buzzer had sounded.

"The chances are very slim at an All-Star Game, that's for sure," James said when asked about the game being decided by a defensive stop.

While there was plenty of excitement and drama in the final moments, it wasn't that way throughout the night.

The annual spectacle started with a bewildering pre-game show and player introductions by comedian Kevin Hart that didn't hit with the audience, either at Staples Center or sharing their opinions from elsewhere via social media.

When it came the time for Hart to introduce Antetokounmpo, who said he had been practicing his pronunciation of the 23-year-old MVP contender before trying twice and giving up — a lame joke that lost its legs at least a year ago.

Following the rambling pre-game show, Fergie, formerly of the Black Eyed Peas, brought forth an unorthodox attempt at singing the national anthem that drew smirks and chuckles, including from players like Golden State's Draymond Green whose reaction went viral.

Those sideshows out of the way, everyone watching seemed grateful to have basketball take over the floor, but the lack of highlight-reel dunks and noteworthy plays made for a subdued watching experience.

WATCH: Ranking the best of Giannis

The emphasis on players providing a higher level of effort was certainly obvious — starting with Antetokounmpo ripping down two rebounds shortly after the jump, battling opponents and teammates alike for the ball.

"That’s all I know how to do is going hard," Antetokounmpo said. "From the first minute of the game, I tried to set the tone and I just wanted the game to be played hard. I think everybody did a great job just playing hard, competing.”

But with each team playing some level of defense, that made for more quick-trigger three-pointers that didn't fall. The teams combined to go 7 of 31 in the first quarter and 36 of 123 on the night from long range.

But in the end, the collection of highlight plays grew along with the drama and everyone watching was treated to an exciting finish. It may not have ended exactly how Antetokounmpo wanted, but he was all smiles in the mixed zone after the game, where he was joined by his younger brothers Kostas and Alex.

For Antetokounmpo, win or lose, the highlight of the weekend was being able to spend extended time with his family, whose names he wrote on the red Nike sneakers he wore during the first half before changing into a blue pair at halftime. During the weekend, they took a picture with rapper Cardi B and met hip-hop trio Migos — interactions that Antetokounmpo called the highlights of his weekend — though he did not get a chance to talk to former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant about possibly working out with him this summer.

With his second All-Star Game under his belt, Antetokounmpo is looking forward to his next task — helping the Bucks make a run during the final stretch of the season.

“It was great, I had fun," he said. "I can’t wait to go back to Milwaukee and get some rest and make this 25 games run we have, go to the playoffs and do it again next year.”