INDIANAPOLIS — Right now, the janitorial staff at the NBA office in New York is wheeling the dry-erase board out of the closet and giving it a once over with a wet rag. It’s time to draw up yet another new idea to save the league’s All-Star Game.

On Sunday night in Indianapolis, the 73rd edition of the NBA’s annual February classic reverted back to the traditional format of East versus West and four, 12-minute quarters. The changes, switching back from years of team captains picking sides, and an untimed, targeted scoring system in the fourth quarter to determine the winner – didn’t work.

The game, won by the East, 211-186, was still a listless walk-through of less than no defense and mindless chucking of 3s from as far away as behind the half-court line. League executive Joe Dumars’ edict from October that the All-Stars simply had to play harder was ignored like a Sunday morning alarm clock following an all night, All-Star Saturday rager.

Damian Lillard, Saturday night’s 3-point champion, was voted MVP after scoring 39 points against the West. Counting his barrage from the Saturday contest, Lillard made 57 3s this weekend, including 11 on Sunday. The game’s leading scorer was the West’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who put up 50 points in the loss.

Not a bad All-Star Weekend for Damian Lillard 🌟

◽️ First All-Star Start
◽️ Back-to-back 3PT Champion
◽️ Took home Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy pic.twitter.com/VLs7XlYO2J

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 19, 2024

The two teams set All-Star records for total points in a game (397), and in a half (193); for most 3s made (67) and attempted (167). The East also set a record for points by one team and tied a record with 104 points in the first half, and new marks for 3s made by one team (42!). Get the picture?

It wasn’t all bad, however. Babyface sang a beautiful rendition of the national anthem, strumming along on a six-string guitar, and Jennifer Hudson’s brief halftime concert was stellar. Oh, and during a break in the fourth quarter, Fat Joe led the crowd in a sing-a-long of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way.”

No one wants their NBA basketball like this, though.

On Saturday night, NBA commissioner Adam Silver predicted a better game, citing some changes to the pregame program that reduced the amount of time players stood around before the game started. While they were put on stage for a dance off under the guise of pregame introductions, players who took the court for warmups at 8 p.m. still didn’t start the game until 8:41.

Tyrese Haliburton, the hometown hero for the Indianapolis All-Star game, made his first five 3s and the East connected on 13 3s in the first quarter. The game was not competitive — even on the scoreboard — for much beyond that.

Haliburton finished with 32 points and six assists. Jaylen Brown added 36 points off the bench and Giannis Antetkounmpo, team captain for the East, added 23 points.

LeBron James, playing in his NBA record 20th All-Star Game, finished with 8 points in 14 minutes for the West. He did not play in the second half. Speaking with the media earlier Sunday — because he was not in Indianapolis for All-Star Saturday — James said there were “not many” seasons left in his career, and that he was hopeful he would retire a Laker, though he wasn’t sure if he would.

“It’s just been an absolute honor to be able to grace the floor throughout my career and be out there with the greatest players in the world year in and year out,” James said of his All-Star games, all of which he started. “This is very humbling, very blessed, and it’s something I will never forget obviously. It’s part of my journey.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, making his first All-Star start, scored 31 for the West. Kevin Durant, making his first appearance in an All-Star Game since 2019 because of injuries, finished with 18 points.

(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)