Team World beats Team USA in the Rising Stars Challenge for 2nd straight year

Bogdan Bogdanovic, yes Bogdan Bogdanovic, led Team World to a dominating victory in the 2018 Rising Stars Challenge.

As exhibition All-Star games go, tonight’s Rising Stars Challenge was devoid of defense and filled with three-pointers and dunks. Team World took an early first quarter lead and never looked back, ultimately demolishing Team USA 155-124.

This game came down to one simple skill: three-point shooting. Team World shot an incredible 41.1% from deep on 56 attempts compared to Team USA’s 11-40 performance. The international squad was led by Sacramento Kings rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic, who hit 7-13 of his attempts, including one in the first half that was closer to half-court than the actual three-point line.

The true entertainment from this game came in transition though. Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Kyle Kuzma, John Collins and Brandon Ingram all showed off the incredible athleticism that we’re accustomed to with the next generation of NBA stars.

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(Yes I’m including misses because this was almost soooooo cool)

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For Thunder fans, these incredible dunks came at a cost. We had to watch some of the League’s most talented youngins display their talent without having our own 19-year old in the contest.

Terrance Ferguson would have been perfect for this game. The rookie shooting guard hasn’t had every opportunity to showcase his talents (mostly because he’s actually on a “contender”), but the NBA-world is very aware of his talents. Especially his dunking ability.

The good news is that it’s very likely Ferguson will be in the game next year. With an offseason to add muscle and improve his shot consistency, don’t be surprised if he is in this game nest season.

Until then we can enjoy the success of former Thunder big Domantas Sabonis. Domas hit all six of his shots en-route the only double-double performance off the bench. He might be a Pacer now, but it’s great seeing him succeed in Indiana.