Napheesa Collier’s record-breaking performance leads her team to victory in WNBA All-Star Game

Collier won MVP of the game. All-Star Brittney Sykes held up a sign that read “Pay the Players” while the audience screamed “Pay them more” while she waited to get her trophy.

Due to a groin injury she sustained earlier this week, captain Caitlin Clark was unable to participate for her team. For the weekend, she continued to serve as ambassador.

Clark, who is well-known for her deep logo 3-pointers, would have cherished an opportunity to make the game’s new 4-pointer, which was 28 feet from the hoop.

During the record-breaking offensive night, both teams capitalized on the deep shot.

Team Collier’s 151 points surpassed Team Stewart’s 2023 record of 143 points for the most points in an All-Star Game. Arike Ogunbowale’s previous record of 34 points scored the previous season was surpassed by Collier’s point total.

Additionally, the combined total of 282 exceeded the previous high of 270, which was reached in 2023.

Both teams contested plays in the fourth quarter with the game decided, despite the lack of defense. One of them succeeded, while the other failed.

The game also included rookies Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, and Paige Bueckers, who together made up the biggest group of rookies to attend since 2011. Team Clark had Citron and Iriafen, while Napheesa Collier’s squad included Bueckers as a starter.

The replacements

Earlier in the day, it was announced that Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever would start for Team Clark in place of Phoenix’s Satou Sabally and Clark. The crowd, pleased to see another of their guys in the starting lineup, gave Mitchell a hearty round of applause. Young was replaced as a starter by Gabby Williams, who did not actually start or participate in the game. In Las Vegas’ final game prior to All-Star weekend, Young suffered a hip injury.

New rules

In addition to the 4-point shot, the game allowed teams to substitute during live play and featured a 20-second shot clock rather than the customary 24-second one. Additionally, until the last two minutes of the game, there were no free throws, even though there are often a lot of them in an All-Star Game. Rather, the points were given to the players automatically. With 1:01 remaining in the game, Skylar Diggins made the only free throws. She produced both.

Not all four rules were utilized in the same All-Star Game, but they had all been used at some point in the past.

Stars put on show for celebrities

In Indianapolis, the stars came out for the All-Star Game. While musicians Common and Jennifer Hudson sat courtside next to WNBA legends Lisa Leslie and Tamika Catchings, rapper GloRilla performed during halftime. Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, who was seated in a suite, received the greatest applause from the audience when he was seen on the videoboard.

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https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball is the AP WNBA.

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