Jonquel Jones Leads Team Spoon To Win In Wnba All-star Game

CHICAGO — Jonquel Jones had 22 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, helping Caitlin Clark and Team Spoon outlast Marina Mabrey and Team Coop 129-122 successful nan WNBA All-Star Game connected Saturday night.

Dominique Malonga had a first-half dunk for Team Coop, but Team Spoon had 8 players people successful double figures successful an All-Star Game that featured 127 three-point attempts and very small defense. Allisha Gray had 19 points for Team Spoon, and Clark vanished pinch 17.

The WNBA celebrated its 30th play by holding its first All-Star Game successful Chicago since 2022. This time, nan marquee arena was played successful beforehand of a grounds crowd of 19,783 astatine nan United Center alternatively of nan smaller Wintrust Arena successful downtown Chicago, a motion of really overmuch nan convention has grown.

Jones, a 32-year-old halfway for nan New York Liberty, was named MVP. Nneka Ogwumike scored 11 points for Team Spoon while passing Maya Moore (119) for nan astir profession points successful All-Star Game history.

Kelsey Mitchell had 28 points for Team Coop, and Mabrey scored each of her 23 points during a red-hot first half. Malonga vanished pinch 12 points and 13 rebounds.

WNBA greats Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon drafted nan All-Star teams from players that were either voted arsenic starters by fans, media and chap players aliases chosen arsenic reserves by nan league’s coaches. Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon coached Cooper’s team, and Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve was successful complaint of Weatherspoon’s squad.

Clark went 5 for 15 from beyond nan arc and had 5 assists successful her return to nan All-Star game. The Indiana Fever defender missed past year’s arena successful Indianapolis because of a groin injury.

The 24-year-old Clark came retired firing, connecting from 33 feet and 37 feet connected her measurement to 11 points successful nan first 2 1/2 minutes. She buried different 3 early successful nan 2nd 4th disconnected a slick no-look walk from Minnesota Lynx defender Olivia Miles, nan only rookie selected for nan game.

Clark and Mabrey each put connected an violative show, but Malonga sewage nan biggest cheer of nan night. The 6-foot-6 halfway from nan Seattle Storm ran down nan lane, sewage a walk from Angel Reese and threw down a right-handed jam pinch 6:24 near successful nan first half.

Reese jumped up and down arsenic Malonga vanished nan play, and nan 2 exchanged a mid-air thorax bump connected their measurement backmost down nan court.

It was nan first dunk successful a WNBA All-Star Game since Sylvia Fowles successful 2022. Lisa Leslie (2005), Jones (2017), Brittney Griner (2019) besides person accomplished nan feat.

Leslie was connected manus for nan festivities, on pinch South Carolina coach and erstwhile WNBA defender Dawn Staley. Former NBA prima Dwyane Wade besides was courtside.

Cohen writes for nan Associated Press.