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 In one of the most riveting slam dunk contests in recent years,
LaVine and Gordon went toe-to-toe in the first two rounds of the
final round then needed a pair of tie-breakers, where the former
sealed it with his fourth consecutive perfect 50 score.
LaVine, a 20-year-old second-year NBA player, joined Michael Jordan
(1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Nate Robinson (2009-10) as
the only players to win consecutive slam dunk contests.
The streak of perfect scores from the two players ended when Gordon,
who enlisted a mascot rotating on a hoverboard for one of his
earlier dunks, ran along the baseline en route to a jackknife dunk
that earned him 47 points.
LaVine sealed it on the next attempt when he soared into the air
from a step inside the free-throw line and made a between-the-legs
dunk that earned a perfect score from a panel of judges that
included basketball greats Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal.
Earlier, Klay Thompson knocked off defending champion and Golden
State Warriors team mate Stephen Curry and Devin Booker of the
Phoenix Suns to win the three-point contest after capping the final
round by draining his last eight shots.
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Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns pulled off an upset
in the Skills Challenge, an event that tests dribbling, passing, and
shooting, when he became the first big man to win a competition
normally dominated by guards.
Towns, the top pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, dribbled through an
obstacle course, sent a pass through a target, made a layup and a
three-point shot quicker than Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas in
the final round of an event that included front court players for
the first time.
(Editing by John O'Brien)
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