NBA All-Star Saturday: Blake Griffin wins slam dunk contest
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Clippers forward Blake Griffin goes up to dunk over a car after getting an alley-oop from teammate Baron Davis tonight in Los Angeles. / AP
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LOS ANGELES — Blake Griffin leaped over a car and threw down a two-handed dunk to the accompaniment of a gospel choir, winning the slam dunk contest in iconic style before his hometown fans on All-Star Saturday.
The Los Angeles Clippers rookie caught a pass out of the sunroof from teammate Baron Davis and easily cleared the 2011 Kia Optima’s hood while the Crenshaw Select Choir sang “I Believe I Can Fly” at midcourt.
The inventive slam drove home the obvious point of the All-Star weekend’s silly Saturday: Griffin has both the raw athleticism and the showtime flair to be the NBA’s next big star.
Finalist Javale McGee of Washington and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan didn’t stand a chance despite their own inventive dunks at Staples Center.
Miami's James Jones wins three-point shootout
Miami’s James Jones held off Boston teammates Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to win his first 3-point shootout at All-Star Saturday.
Jones scored 20 points in the final round, hitting four straight shots late. The star-laden Heat’s outside shooting specialist says he benefited from shooting first in the three-man final.
Although Pierce was the defending champion and Allen recently became the NBA’s career leader in three-pointers, neither could match Jones’ score in front of booing Lakers fans.
Stephen Curry wins skills competition
Golden State’s Stephen Curry beat Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook in the final round to win the Skills Challenge early on All-Star Saturday at Staples Center.
A three-person team from Atlanta won the Shooting Stars competition in the first event at the NBA All-Star weekend’s silly Saturday.
The program was expected to be highlighted by Clippers rookie Blake Griffin’s much-anticipated appearance in the slam dunk contest.
Curry also played in the Rookie Challenge on Friday night. The Warriors’ slick guard twice navigated the basketball obstacle course with ease, beating a field also including Los Angeles-area native Westbrook, Derrick Rose and Rookie Challenge MVP John Wall and New Orleans’ Chris Paul, who missed a layup.
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