NBA

Undrafted from Arizona in 2024, Johnson has been a part of the Heat’s bench for the last two seasons. The 24-year-old forward won the slam dunk contest, besting the Spurs’ Carter Bryant in the final round. Bryant earned the only 50 score of the night with a dunk that resembled Vince Carter’s iconic dunk in the 2000 slam dunk contest, but failed to complete a dunk on his next turn. Johnson won the competition with a windmill jam after taking off from a step inside the free throw line.

Lillard’s score of 29 in the final round was enough to beat Kon Knueppel, who had 17, and Devin Booker, who had 27. The 35-year-old point guard won the three-point contest for the third time in his career, tying Larry Bird and Craig Hodges for most in NBA history. Lillard is out for the season after rupturing his left Achilles during last year’s playoffs.

A solid rotation player with the Heat in previous years, Highsmith hasn’t appeared in a game yet this season after offseason knee surgery and was waived by the Nets earlier this month. The 29-year-old small forward chose to join a Suns team that currently occupies the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoff race. While he could provide some important bench minutes for Phoenix, he’s not worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

Giannis has been sidelined since straining his right calf for the second time this season during a January 23 loss to the Nuggets. At the time, he set a four-to-six-week timeline, and the former league MVP is on the right path. “I feel like the break doesn’t help, because now I gotta get on the court, I gotta play some 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 5 vs. 5,” Antetokounmpo said Saturday. “Players are on vacation right now, so it’s kinda hard for me to do that. “So once I check all those boxes, I’m ready to go. I feel like I can play a game today.” Giannis has made it clear he will play again this season. And the Bucks’ wins over Orlando and Oklahoma City heading into the All-Star break likely sparked optimism about the team’s chances of earning a playoff berth once they get their star forward back.

After putting up All-Star-level numbers with the Clippers last season, Powell was traded to the Heat ahead of the final year of his current contract. And the move east has been a successful one for the guard individually, going into the All-Star break with averages of 23.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.9 three-pointers per game. That production was good enough to earn Powell his first All-Star nod, and he hopes to continue the relationship with the Heat for years to come. “Hopefully, there’s some good synergy from what they’ve seen that I bring to the table,” Powell said, according to the Miami Herald. “And hopefully a deal is able to be done sometime. But yeah, I see myself being here and being a part of the Heat organization for however long they’ll have me.” Having entered the season with a Yahoo! ADP of 86, Powell has offered top-50 fantasy value for most of the season. A lingering subplot for the Heat is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee, and the team is one of many that will have more resources at its disposal in the summer to make a move for the star forward if he becomes available.

After scoring 17 points in the semifinals, including a run of ten consecutive points, the 76ers guard scored six more in Team Vince’s championship game victory over Team Melo. His two free throws gave Team Vince the 25-24 win in the title game. Thus far, Edgecombe has exceeded expectations in Philadelphia from a fantasy standpoint, providing seventh-round per-game value in eight- and nine-cat formats.

Due to a right fifth finger injury, LaVine missed Sacramento’s final three games before the All-Star break. Apparently, the injury is more serious than the Kings may have let on, as the guard will reportedly undergo season-ending surgery after the break. LaVine, who appeared in 39 games and averaged 19.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.5 three-pointers, has a player option for next season worth nearly $49 million. As for how his absence affects the Kings in the short term, rookie Nique Clifford has moved into the starting lineup and should remain there for the rest of the season.

Dončić missed the Lakers’ last four games before the All-Star break, but he went through a rigorous workout ahead of Thursday’s win over the Mavericks. He’s come out of that session in good condition and will be available for a short stint on Sunday. With the new format for the All-Star Game, the question is whether he’ll play in just one of the potentially three short games for Team World. At the very least, Dončić’s participation on Sunday should ensure that he’s available for the Lakers’ first game after the break, February 20 against the Clippers, provided he does not aggravate the hamstring injury.

Beasley, who has not been cleared to return to the NBA since being investigated by the US District Attorney’s Office for betting allegations, has decided to play in Puerto Rico. While teams in Europe and China expressed interest in the free-agent shooting guard, he has decided to sign with a team closer to the States. Depending on whether he’s cleared of any wrongdoing and allowed to sign with an NBA team by the end of June, Beasley will once again be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Paul was waived by the Raptors on Friday afternoon and shortly afterwards, took to Instagram to announce his official retirement, saying, “This is it! After over 21 years, I’m stepping away from basketball.” Paul had previously announced that this would be his final season, but then tensions flared with the Clippers earlier in the year, which led to his departure from the team. Paul was a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA point guard, five-time assists leader, nine-time All-NBA defensive team honoree, and two-time Olympic gold medalist with the United States men’s basketball team. He averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in his career and will undoubtedly be a Hall of Famer.