Cavs' Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley win skills challenge on NBA All-Star Saturday Night

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Cavs' Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley win skills challenge on NBA All-Star Saturday Night

Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sun, Feb 16, 2025 ·

10 min read

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Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell , Evan Mobley and Darius Garland have taken their talents to San Francisco .

Mitchell and Mobley combined to win the skills challenge as part of the NBA's All-Star Saturday Night at Chase Center. Later, Garland advanced to the final round of the 3-point contest before falling short.

The festivities began shortly after 8:20 p.m. Here are our updates about the Cavs and other developments as they unfolded on the eve of the NBA All-Star Game:

Cavs' Darius Garland knocked out in final round of 3-point contest. Heat's Tyler Herro wins 3-point contest on All-Star Saturday Night

Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat won the 3-point contest. He took the first turn of the final round and posted the victorious score of 24.

Garland took his turn next and produced a score of 19.

Buddy Hield of the Golden State Warriors went last, and drama ensued in prime time. Hield nearly caught Herro, but Hield could only muster 23 points, one shy of Herro's Round 2 total.

So Herro became the new 3-point contest champion.

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) competes in the three-point contest during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Darius Garland advances to second and final round of 3-point contest with Buddy Hield and Tyler Herro

Garland advanced to the final round of the 3-point contest along with Hield and Herro.

Hield had the best Round 1 score with 31 points, followed by Garland with 24 and Herro with 19.

Damian Lillard of Milwaukee Bucks did not three-peat as the 3-point contest king. Lillard had 18 points in the first round, so he failed to advance to the final round after winning the previous two 3-point contests.

More on Darius Garland: What NBA fans should know about the Cleveland Cavs guard and All-Star reserve

Darius Garland honors father, Winston, with jersey and posts score of 24 in Round 1 of 3-point contest

Garland earned a score of 24 in the first round of the 3-point contest, hitting 4 of 5 shots from the money rack. He took the second turn in the competition, following Brooklyn Nets wing Cam Johnson 's score of 14.

Garland paid homage to his father, Winston, during the contest. The jersey Garland wore has "W. Garland" emblazoned on the back with his dad's No. 22. The Warriors were the last team for which Winston Garland played in the NBA. And All-Star Saturday Night is being held in the home venue of the Warriors.

In 2022, the Beacon Journal went behind the scenes with the Garlands for this Father's Day story .

After Garland's turn, these first-round scores were tallied in the following order:

Cade Cunningham , Detroit Pistons : 16 points
Norman Powell , Los Angeles Clippers : 14 points
Herro, Heat: 19
Jalen Brunson , New York Knicks : 18
Hield, Warriors: 31
Lillard, Bucks: 18

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Team Cavs center Evan Mobley (4) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate with the trophies after winning the skills challenge during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley lead Team Cavs to victory in the NBA All-Star Saturday Night skills challenge

Team Cavs won the skills challenge, defeating Team Warriors in the second and final round.

In Round 2 of the competition, which featured an obstacle course relay, Mitchell and Mobley finished with a time of 1:00.3. Mitchell's leg of the relay was 29.7 seconds. Mobley's was 30.7 seconds.

During an on-court interview with TNT, Mobley said, "I definitely think it's the year [for the Cavs]. We started off strong. We're continuing to go strong. And we're going to finish strong."

Team Warriors ( Draymond Green and Moses Moody of the Warriors) took its turn after Team Cavs in Round 2 and couldn't match the time of Mitchell and Mobley.

The Cavs have a rich history in skills challenges. In 2022, Mobley, Garland and Jarrett Allen joined forces to win a skills challenge during All-Star weekend in Cleveland .

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Team Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and center Evan Mobley (4) of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after winning the skills challenge during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images — Team Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and center Evan Mobley (4) celebrate after winning the skills challenge during All Star Saturday Night on Feb. 15, 2025, in San Francisco, California, before the 2025 NBA All Star Game.

Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley register time of 1:19.4 for Team Cavs

The skills challenge started with the first round of the obstacle course relay. Mitchell and Mobley took their turn after Team Spurs and Team Rooks. Team Cavs posted a time of 1:19.4.

Team Rooks ( Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks and Alex Sarr of the Washington Wizards ) had a time of 1:20.6.

Team Warriors went after Team Cavs and knocked the Mitchell-Mobley tandem out of first place in Round 1. Team Warriors benefitted from knowing the times registered before it and operated with a greater sense of urgency than its opponents. Green and Moody had a time of 1:10, advancing to the second round to meet Team Cavs for the title.

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Team Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell (45) of the Cleveland Cavaliers competes in the skills challenge during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

NBA All-Star Saturday Night skills challenge begins with Team Spurs disqualification

The path for Mitchell and Mobley to lead Team Cavs to a skills challenge triumph became easier when Team Spurs was disqualified to start the competition. Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs didn't attempt enough legitimate shots as they navigated the obstacle course and were eliminated as a result.

Later, during an on-court interview, Mitchell smiled when he said Team Spurs "played to win" but "it was definitely cheating."

More on Donovan Mitchell: What NBA fans should know about the Cleveland Cavs guard and All-Star starter

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung competes in the slam dunk competition during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Mac McClung becomes first player to three-peat as dunk contest champion, and Cavs forward Evan Mobley played a role

Wait, wait, wait! Who said the Cavs wouldn't be involved with this year's slam dunk contest?

Mac McClung of the NBA G League's Osceola Magic became the first player to three-peat as the dunk contest champion. Each of his four dunks received a perfect overall score of 50 from the judges.

On McClung's final dunk, he had the 7-foot Mobley (yes, Cleveland's All-Star forward) stand on a small platform while facing the hoop and holding the ball against the back of his neck. McClung jumped over Mobley, grabbed the ball with two hands, tapped the front of the rim with the ball and then dunked it. He received a perfect overall score of 50 from the judges.

More on Evan Mobley: What NBA fans should know about the Cleveland Cavaliers forward and first-time All-Star

For McClung's first dunk of the final round, he grabbed the ball with his right hand from a person standing on a spinning hoverboard and dunked it. He also used his left hand to grab another ball someone else held against the rim and dunked it, too. The judges' overall score? If you guessed a 50, you would be correct.

McClung defended his title against Stephon Castle of the Spurs in the final round.

Castle's final dunk was a 360-degree, behind-the-back, left-handed slam. It yielded an overall score of 50 from the judges. For his first dunk of the final round, he caught the ball after it went through the hoop, put it between his legs and dunked it with his right hand. He received an overall score of 49.6.

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung (0) competes in the slam dunk competition during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Mac McClung and Stephon Castle advance to final round of dunk contest

McClung advanced to the final round to defend his title against Castle.

Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls had an assistant throw the ball off the side of the backboard for his second dunk. Buzelis caught the ball before slamming it behind his head. He received an overall score of 47.4 from the judges.

Andre Jackson Jr. of the Bucks tried a similar stunt for his second dunk before switching his strategy. He cradled the ball for a dunk, netting an overall score of 45 from the judges.

Castle caught the ball off the backboard (someone else threw it) and dunked behind his head with two hands. He received a score of 47.8 for his second dunk.

McClung jumped over a man, grabbed the ball from him and turned in the air to dunk with two hands. He received a perfect overall score of 50 for the second consecutive round.

Mac McClung steals show in dunk contest by jumping over a car

McClung used a car as a prop for his first dunk.

McClung jumped over a Kia K5 and grabbed a ball held by a man standing in the car. Then McClung threw down a two-handed backward dunk.

It was a legendary dunk by a legendary dunker. He received a perfect overall score of 50 from the judges.

Castle fared better in the dunk contest than his Spurs teammates did in the skills challenge. Castle received an overall score of 47.2 from the judges with a 360-degree windmill on his first dunk.

Buzelis didn't make a dunk on his first turn and received a score of 40. Jackson flirted with missing all of his dunks on his first turn, but he resorted to a relatively basic two-handed slam and received a score of 43.8.

Feb 15, 2025; Oakland, CA, USA; Chuck's Global Stars guard Donovan Mitchell (5) of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks to media members during the NBA All Star-Practice at Oakland Arena. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images — Feb 15, 2025; Oakland, CA, USA; Chuck’s Global Stars guard Donovan Mitchell (5) of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks to media members during the NBA All Star-Practice at Oakland Arena. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Here is our All-Star Saturday Night preview updated with results included just in case you skipped them earlier:

Will Cavaliers ' Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley win NBA skills challenge? Our predictions and the results

Here are the skills challenge teams :

Team Cavs

Mitchell (Cavaliers)
Mobley (Cavaliers)

NBA All-Star Game news: How Cleveland Cavaliers first-time All-Star Evan Mobley has made his lifelong coach and dad say, 'Whoa!'

Team Rooks

Risacher (Hawks)
Sarr (Wizards)

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Team Spurs

Paul (Spurs)
Wembanyama (Spurs)

Team Warriors

Green (Warriors)
Moody (Warriors)

Our prediction: Have you seen the Eastern Conference-leading Cavs (44-10) play this season? Are you aware of Mitchell's dominance and Mobley's impressive evolution? Then you should not think this is far-fetched: Mitchell and Mobley will take the crown. By the way, the only tandem in this competition featuring two 2025 NBA All-Stars is Team Cavs, so there really is no excuse for Mitchell and Mobley to take an L. Perhaps pressure is their greatest adversary.

The result: Team Cavs won. Hey, nice prediction!

Feb 15, 2025; Oakland, CA, USA; Kenny's Young Stars guard Darius Garland (10) of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks to media members during the NBA All Star-Practice at Oakland Arena. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images — Feb 15, 2025; Oakland, CA, USA; Kenny’s Young Stars guard Darius Garland (10) of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks to media members during the NBA All Star-Practice at Oakland Arena. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Will Cavs' Darius Garland win NBA 3-point contest? Let's make some predictions

Here are the 3-point contest participants:

Brunson (Knicks)
Cunningham (Pistons)
Garland (Cavaliers)
Herro (Heat)
Hield (Warriors)
Johnson (Nets)
Lillard (Bucks)
Powell (Clippers)

Our prediction: Garland leads the pack in 3-point percentage this season (ninth in the NBA at 43.1%), but Lillard is the two-time defending 3-point contest champion. Give the edge to Lillard (38.2% on 3s this season) over Garland, with it coming down to a final-round showdown.

The result: Who's predicting this stuff? Shame! Shame! Shame! Neither Garland nor Lillard won. Lillard didn't even advance to the final round. Garland did, but Herro prevailed, holding off Garland and Hield in the last round.

Feb 17, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung (0) after winning the slam dunk competition during NBA All Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Will Mac McClung 3-peat as NBA slam dunk contest champion?

Here are the slam dunk contest participants:

Buzelis (Bulls)
Castle (Spurs)
Jackson ( Bucks)
McClung (NBA G League, Osceola Magic)

Our prediction: Like Lillard in the 3-point extravaganza, McClung is a two-time defending champ in the slam dunk contest. The Kansas City Chiefs failed to three-peat, but we're rolling with Lillard and McClung anyway. Until further notice, respect the champs.

The result: Lillard didn't three-peat, but McClung sure did. For those keeping score, we got two out of three predictions right. Respect our predictions, but respect McClung more. He's incredible, and he made All-Star Saturday Night an event to remember.

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All-Star Saturday Night broadcast information. How can I watch, stream NBA skills challenge, 3-point contest, slam dunk contest?

All-Star Saturday Night was televised by TNT and could be streamed via TNT Overtime (NBA App, NBA.com) or Max.

Cleveland Cavaliers guards Donovan Mitchell (45) and Darius Garland (10) celebrate after Mitchell made a 3-pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 8, 2025, in Cleveland.

When is the NBA All-Star Game? How can I watch?

A new NBA All-Star Game format featuring a mini-tournament with four teams and three games is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Sunday at Chase Center. Like All-Star Saturday Night, the All-Star Game tournament will air on TNT.

Mitchell was voted an All-Star starter by fans, a media panel and NBA players. Mobley and Garland were chosen as All-Star reserves by the league's 30 head coaches.

Mitchell will play on an All-Star Game tournament team drafted by NBA legend Charles Barkley. Mobley and Garland will be teammates on a squad picked by Barkley's fellow "Inside the NBA" commentator Kenny Smith, a two-time champion with the Houston Rockets .

New Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson and one of his assistants will guide two of the All-Star Game tournament teams.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs win All-Star Saturday Night skills challenge

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