Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young
It didn’t take long for Atlanta Hawks’ superstar Trae Young to pull out his go-to move in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.
Playing for the U.S. team comprised of first and second-year players, Young executed a perfect nutmeg on New York Knicks’ rookie RJ Barrett just three minutes into the game.
Trae wastes no time breaking out the nutmeg 👀
Young has become the king of the nutmeg, a move where he dribbles the ball between the defender’s open legs and then retrieves the ball as he blows by the opponent on his way to the rim.
The sophomore sensation is having a banner season, averaging the third-most points per game in the league with 29.7 and ranks second with 9.2 assists per game. Young will be playing and starting in his first All-Star game this Sunday, as he suits up for Team Giannis.
U.S. Beats World Team 151-131 in Rising Stars Challenge
Miles Bridges put on a second half SHOW to lead the #NBARisingStars USA Team to the W! 😤
Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge was electric from start to finish, as the U.S. blew by the World team, 151-131, in a game that featured high-flying highlights and little resistance on the defensive end.
Mavericks’ All-Star guard Luka Doncic had the United Center buzzing when he hit a half court three-point shot at the halftime buzzer that gave the World team an 81-71 lead heading into the locker room.
Luka’s half-court heave had Trae speechless 😂
The U.S. took charge in the third quarter and didn’t look back in the fourth. The Charlotte Hornets’ Miles Bridges capped the third quarter effort when he threw the ball off the backboard to himself for a huge dunk. Bridges scored 20 points and was named MVP for the game.
MILES ISN’T PLAYING AROUND 👀 #NBARisingStars
Williamson finished the game with 14 points. With the game out of reach in the final two minutes, the players backed off and let Williamson have the stage for his own personal dunk competition but the big man failed to complete a few massive slams that would have probably won him a dunk contest if he threw them down in competition.
If only these Zion dunk attempts went in 😦
The Knicks’ freshman guard RJ Barrett led the way for the World with 27 points.
All-Star Saturday Night will kick-off at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and feature the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest and the AT&T Slam Dunk competition. The 69th NBA All-Star Game caps the weekend on Sunday beginning at 8 p.m. on TNT.