OHIO – Obi Toppin did just enough to clinch the crown in the AT&T Slam Dunk Competition of the 2022 NBA All-Star on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
The New York Knicks forward easily defeated Juan Toscano-Anderson of the Golden State Warriors in the two-round finale in what many said as the worst rim-rattling fest in recent memory.
Toppin, a runner up in last year’s Slam Dunk competition, impressed in his first dunk in the finale round with his between the legs execution to net 45 points from the judges as against to Toscano-Anderson’s 39.
With Toscano-Anderson failing to convert on his second dunk in the finals, Toppin went for a safety dunk to become the third New York player to win the competition.
Toppin and Toscano-Anderson entered the finale round after defeating Filipino-American guard Jalen Green of Houston Rockets and Cole Anthony of Orlando Magic.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns bucked the odds to become the Mountain Dew 3-Point Contest winner in a record-setting fashion.
The 7-foot Towns topped the competition after scoring 29 points in the finale, defeating Los Angeles Clippers’ Luke Kennard and Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, who both have 26.
The 29 points of the former NBA top-overall pick was also a new record for the highest score in the final round of the current NBA 3-Point Contest format.
The Cleveland Cavaliers trio of Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen did the hometown crowd proud as they ruled the 2022 NBA All-Stars Skills Challenge event.
Mobley, a frontrunner for NBA Rookie of the Year, drilled a half-court shot in the final event to defeat the rookie trio of Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, and Josh Giddey./PN
