INGLEWOOD, CA — Give credit to the young stars of the NBA.
As the NBA All-Star Game has faced criticism from fans and league executives alike for a lack of competitive spirit, the Rising Stars tournament delivered in entertainment and quality play. In the end, it was Team Vince, led by NBA Hall of Famer Vince Carter, who won the championship behind the play of 76ers rookie guard VJ Edgecombe.
He led all players across the competition with 23 combined points in the semifinal and final round. Team Vince toppled Team Melo by one point, 25-24, in the championship game.
‘This is what we wanted to get out of this, guys competing,’ Carter said in the postgame interview with NBC. ‘I thought the competition was great.’
Edgecombe won the Rising Stars Most Valuable Player award for his performance.
‘We appreciate people tuning in, even to the Rising Stars Game,’ Edgecombe told reporters after the game. ‘We just tried to make it fun, tried to make it competitive and worth your time. …
‘And I wanted to win. I hate losing, I really hate losing. We had the chance to win it all, so why not go for it?’
Rising Stars Championship: Team Vince 25, Team Melo 24
Needing a 3 to win, Team Melo tried to find an open look from beyond the arc, but Team Vince’s defense made it tough to get a clean shot off. So Jeremiah Fears drove to the hoop and missed the layup, but Stephon Castle cleaned it up with the putback, to give Team Melo a 24-23 lead.
On the other end, as he had done all night for Team Vince, 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe was the standout. He drove down the left side of the paint, got to the basket and drew a shooting foul from Team Melo center Donovan Clingan.
Edgecombe, calm as ever, knocked down the two free throws to win the game. He led Team Vince with 6 points.
Second timeout: Team Vince 23, Team Melo 22
Straight out of the Team Melo timeout, Spurs rookie Dylan Harper laced a corner 3. Then, after a stop on the other end, Jeremiah Fears rattled home a 3 from the opposite corner to take back the lead.
Team Melo then got 3 happy and missed its next three attempts, all of which were from beyond the arc. That let Team Vince go on a little run.
Now, each team is just one basket away from the title, as the first team that gets to 25 will win the game.
First timeout: Team Vince 15, Team Melo 11
Team Vince missed its first three shots, while Team Melo’s Donovan Clingan nailed a 3 to open scoring. On the way down, Matas Buzelis (Vince) thundered home a dunk and then VJ Edgecombe added a basket.
The pace has been quick and engaging, with both teams looking to get quick offensive actions early in the shot clock. Team Melo, though, has only had two players — Clingan and Dylan Harper — score points. The rest of Team Melo has combined to go 0-for-5.
It has been the opposite for Team Vince, which has had six of its seven players score at least 2 points. Team Vince is now just 10 points away from the Rising Stars title.
Rising Stars Semifinal Game 2: Team Vince 41, Team T-Mac 36
76ers rookie guard VJ Edgecombe took over down the stretch. As Team Vince continued to stack baskets, it was Edgecombe who set the tone and finished with a game-high 17 points. He added 5 rebounds and 1 assist, but he scored Team Vince’s final 10 points of the game.
Team T-Mac did start to mount a little comeback, but it missed a few attempts inside the paint.
Now, Team Vince will face Team Melo in the Rising Stars championship game.
Second timeout: Team T-Mac 24, Team Vince 22
Team Vince has settled in and has found its rhythm. It has hit 4 of its last 9 shots, as 76ers rookie guard VJ Edgecombe has come off the bench to pour in 7 quick points, including a corner 3 assisted from Derik Queen that forced a Team T-Mac timeout.
Team T-Mac has cooled off a touch, but Heat center Kel’el Ware continues to lead the team with 7 points. One player having a rough go? Hawks second-year wing Zaccharie Risacher, the 2024 No. 1 overall selection, who is 0-for-5 from the field.
First timeout: Team T-Mac 15, Team Vince 7
In a battle of cousins and NBA icons, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, it was Team T-Mac that took an early lead.
Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware flushed a 3-pointer and, later, slammed home an alley-oop that he received off of a pick-and-roll. He and Wizards point guard Tre Johnson are tied for most points on Team T-Mac, with 5.
Team Vince, however, has had a tough time hitting shots, opening the game just 3-of-10 (30%) from the field. That compares to Team T-Mac’s shooting clip of 54.5%.
Rising Stars Semifinal Game 1: Team Melo 40, Team Austin 34
Just when it looked like Team Austin and the G Leaguers would scratch out an upset, Team Melo locked in. Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (Melo) drained consecutive 3s to reclaim the lead.
Then, Spurs guard Stephon Castle attacked the paint and got to the line for a pair of free throws, before Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears floated a bank jumper, leaving Team Melo two points away from victory.
After Team Austin airballed a 3, Spurs rookie Dylan Harper ended the game with a short stepback jumper in the paint.
Sheppard and Donovan Clingan led Team Melo with 9 points apiece, while Fears added 7.
For Team Austin, Yanic Konan Niederhauser paced the way with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Yang Hansen chipped in 10 points on 4-of-5 from the field.
Second timeout: Team Austin 30, Team Melo 26
The young G Leaguers have taken control of the game. Now just 10 points away from a win, the pair of Team Austin bigs Yanic Konan Niederhauser (9 points and 2 rebounds) and Yang Hansen (8 points) have attacked the basket.
Niederhauser has flushed home a couple of alley-oop dunks, while Hansen has flashed steady footwork to create space; on the most recent basket, Hansen jab stepped multiple times, getting Donovan Clingan out of position and allowing Hansen to cruise through the paint for an easy lay-in.
First timeout: Team Melo 16, Team Austin 12
The first semifinal game of the showcase features Team Austin, led by former NBA guard Austin Rivers, against Team Melo, led by NBA Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony. Team Melo is arguably the most balanced and complete roster, with high-profile second-year players and rookies. Team Austin features G League stars.
Early on, however, Team Austin held its own, fighting back from a six-point deficit to close the Team Melo lead.
It has been a showcase of bigs, as Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (Melo) leads all players with 9 points. On Team Austin, it was Yanic Konan Niederhauser who scored 5 early points, including a 3 he swished.
Ron Harper Jr. (Austin), who is battling against his brother, Spurs rookie Dylan Harper (Melo), scooped 5 early rebounds.
How to watch NBA Rising Stars Game?
Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
When: Friday, Feb. 13, 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT)
TV/Stream: Peacock
Who will play in NBA Rising Stars Game?
Team Melo: Ace Bailey, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Jeremiah Fears, Donovan Clingan, Collin Murray-Boyles
Team T-Mac: Kon Knueppel, Kel’el Ware, Tre Johnson, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Cam Spencer, Bub Carrington
Team Vince: VJ Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Kyshawn George, Matas Buzelis, Egor Demin, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells
Team Austin: Sean East II, Ron Harper Jr., Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Alijah Martin, Tristen Newton, Yang Hansen, Mac McClung, David Jones Garcia
NBA Rising Stars game schedule
Game 1: Team Melo vs. Team Austin
Game 2: Team Vince vs. Team T-Mac
Rising Stars championship: (G1 winner vs. G2 winner)