Another All-Star Saturday night is in the books.
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who has burst onto the scene this season, took home the Skills title, bringing the trophy back to the guards with a victory over Lauri Markkanen.
The Three-Point Contest, unfortunately, was a bit lackluster. The first round featured far too many bricked shots, but Devin Booker did put together a record-setting performance in the final round. His 28 points were an all-time high and gave him the trophy.
Donovan Mitchell and Larry Nance Jr. turned things up in the Dunk Contest, closing the night out with a fantastic final round. In the end, Mitchell's Vince Carter tribute helped him get a narrow win, though Nance Jr. had perhaps the best dunk of the night.
Skills Challenge results: Dinwiddie outlasts Markkanen for title
Three-Point Contest results: Booker catches fire to set all-time record in win
Dunk Contest results: Mitchell beats Nance Jr. in a closely contested final
Recap all the night's All-Star action below in our live blog.
LOS ANGELES -- This NBA season has seen one of the deepest rookie crops in recent memory. Memphis Grizzlies rookie Dillon Brooks said Friday before the Rising Stars Challenge that this rookie class is, top to bottom, better than the famed rookie class of 2003, with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell are locked in a tense Rookie of the Year race, while others such as Jayson Tatum and Lauri Markkanen have shown maturity and skill beyond their years. And with No. 1 overall pick, Markelle Fultz struggling and injured.
Yet among this bumper crop of first-year players, the guy who had the most buzz around him in Summer League and at the beginning of the season has become somewhat lost in the shuffle. He drew media contingents half the size of Simmons' and Which is wild, because the Dallas Mavericks electric point guard Dennis Smith Jr. still has a chance at someday becoming the top NBA player in this deep and versatile group.
I believe Saturday night will change that.
Namely, I believe that Smith blowing the roof off the Staples Center and winning the dunk contest will change that.
"I think I'm gonna win it," Smith said Friday before a humble seven-point, six-assist showing at the Rising Stars game. "I got a couple dunks up my sleeve – bring my bounce and bring my swag. I think I got a pretty good shot."
After the Mavericks took Smith with the ninth overall pick, coach Rick Carlisle basically gave him the keys and said go. It hasn't been all smooth -- there have been too many turnovers, there has been dubious shot selection too early in the shot clock -- but the adjustment to the NBA is never a smooth ride for a 19-year-old point guard. More than halfway through his rookie season, Smith looks like the type of Rising Star who could soon become an All-Star.
He wouldn't reveal what sort of tricks are up his sleeve. But he did say that he talked with one of the best dunkers in NBA history, Vince Carter, about the contest. Carter, whose famous posterization dunk in the 2000 Summer Olympics is Smith's favorite dunk of all time, gave Smith some pointers.
"I ain't been doing nothing (to prepare)," Smith said. "I've been resting. My whole thing is, if I've got fresh legs, I'll get ready for it."
It was fun to see these fresh faces talk about the excitement of their first All-Star Weekend. "This whole thing has been a whirlwind for me," Mitchell said. Markkanen reminded us just how old he is (and just how much the NBA has changed) when he was asked about Michael Jordan: "I didn't have a chance to watch him too much, being 20 years old and growing up in Finland."
It was heady stuff for all of these guys. But being here for All-Star Weekend wasn't really the goal. The goal was playing in the actual All-Star Game. "After this year, I'm looking forward to being in the game Sunday," Smith said.
I think he'll get there. He won't win Rookie of the Year, but Smith is certainly in the conversation. He's averaging 14.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists a game. He's learning to take smarter shots. His shooting percentages need to improve -- he's shooting less than 40 percent from the field, and only 31.7 percent on 3-pointers -- but if he gets those up to just league-average levels, at his volume, the guy's going to be an All-Star sooner instead of later.
When he spoke of his future, though, he insisted the key to his success is humility.
"Just try to be wherever my feet are, man," Smith said. "I enjoy every moment of anything I'm doing. My family does a great job of keeping me humble, making sure I never get ahead of myself. I appreciate everything coming my way."
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2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Live Highlights, Updates and Analysis
Los Angeles, California
Donovan Mitchell is your 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner! He had an off the (second) backboard dunk, jumped over Kevin Hart, his sister and Hart's son and channeled Vince Carter on his way to the title. Larry Nance, Jr. finished second. He put on an old school Larry Nance, Sr. jersey before rocking one to bed, had a crazy baseline windmill and did a double-tap off the glass we've never seen before. Dennis Smith had one of the best dunks of the night, but couldn't overcome mediocre scores for his first slam. And Victor Oladipo missed all three attempts on his first dunk and couldn't dig himself out of that hole, even with a Black Panther mask. For video of all the jams, scroll below.
