INDIANAPOLIS — The hometown Pacers did not disappoint at NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The hosts won the first of four events at the league's annual talent show as Team Pacers topped Team All-Stars in the Skills Challenge.
"Felt good," Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. "There was a lot of energy in the building and a lot of people want to see us succeed. Yeah, feels good to win."
Haliburton, Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin represented Indiana in the three-round event, while the Hawks' Trae Young, Sixers' Tyrese Maxey and Raptors' Scottie Barnes made up Team All-Stars.
Team Pacers easily won the first leg, a relay as Haliburton finished in style passing off the glass to himself for a dunk for 100 points. Indiana needed extra time to top Team All-Stars in round two, a passing drill for another 100 points.
"We felt like we probably had the best team chemistry just because we're actually teammates," said Haliburton. "We could use that to our benefit."
Team All-Stars dominated the shooting portion for 200 points to force a tiebreaker to determine the winner.
The team that made a half-court shot the fastest won the tiebreaker. Team All-Stars made one in 58 seconds, while the Pacers made one in 40 seconds as Haliburton connected from deep.
"It's a really glorifying moment to bring home some hardware and being part of the All-Star festivities, off the floor, making an impact, and just seeing more and more people welcomed to Indianapolis," Turner said.
"I just don't see the purpose of coming out here and not trying to win," said Mathurin, who won the MVP of the Rising Stars Game on Friday night. "I get to say I'm undefeated. Two years in a row, I won the Rising Stars Game. Now the Skills Challenge. What's next?"
Team Top Picks, consisting of the Magic's Paolo Banchero, Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and Spurs' Victor Wembanyama failed to win a round.
The Bucks' Damian Lillard won the Three-Point Contest for the second straight year beating the Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns in the finals. Lillard's the first player to repeat since Jason Kapono in 2007 and 2008.
The top three of eight shooters advanced to the finals. Haliburton, Young, Towns and Lillard each had 26 points in the first round, forcing a tiebreaker. Haliburton had the lowest score in a 30 second shootout and was eliminated.
"It wasn't my day," Haliburton said. "We'll try again next time. I think I'm going to just keep coming back until they don't allow me to and eventually I'm going to win one."
The Warriors' Stephen Curry beat the Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu in a special NBA vs. WNBA three-point challenge for charity. Curry had 29 points in 70 seconds and Ionescu had 26.
Curry is the NBA's all-time three-pointer leader, while Ionescu holds the WNBA's single-season three-pointer record. Ionescu also set the record for points in a three-point contest with 37 in last year's WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas.
Ionescu shot from the NBA three-point line with WNBA basketballs.
In the final event of the night, Mac McClung from the G League's Osceola Magic won the Slam Dunk Contest for the second straight time. He's the first back-to-back winner since Zach LaVine in 2015 and 2016.
McClung topped the Celtics' Jaylen Brown in the finals earning a perfect 50 score by jumping over Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.
Pacers' dunk champions Darnell Hillman (1977) and Fred Jones (2004) served as judges.