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NBA All-Star weekend schedule 2020: Times, TV channels, lineups for Dunk Contest, 3-point Contest, Skills Challenge

By Jordan Greer, Sporting News

The NBA’s best players are ready for Chicago. Yep, All-Star weekend is finally here.

While some basketball fans will be most intrigued by the new structure of the All-Star Game, there should be plenty of highlights from the Rising Stars Game and Saturday night events prior to the main show. The Skills Challenge, 3-point Contest and Dunk Contest each feature previous winners and worthy challengers hoping to take the trophies back home.

Now that the participants for each event have been revealed, here’s a breakdown of All-Star weekend, including the full TV schedule for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

ALL-STAR 2020: Rosters for Team LeBron, Team Giannis

NBA All-Star schedule 2020

The NBA’s Rising Stars and Celebrity Games kick off All-Star weekend on Friday night.

The primary events will be held on Saturday, with coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET. The 3-point Contest follows the Skills Challenge, and as usual, the Slam Dunk Contest closes out the evening. Each All-Star event will be broadcast live on TNT except for Friday night’s Celebrity Game, which airs on ESPN. In Canada, the All-Star Satuday Night events will be broadcast on SN1 and the All-Star Game will be broadcast on TSN.

Friday, Feb. 14

Time Event TV channel
Noon ET Rising Stars practice NBA TV
5 p.m. ET Hall of Fame Class of 2020 announcement NBA TV
7 p.m. ET Celebrity Game ESPN
9 p.m. ET Rising Stars Game TNT

Saturday, Feb. 15

Time Event TV channel
10:30 a.m. ET All-Star practice and Media Day NBA TV
7 p.m. ET Adam Silver media availability NBA TV
8 p.m. ET All-Star Saturday Night events (Skills/3-point/Dunk) TNT (U.S.), SN1 (Canada)

Sunday, Feb. 16

Time Event TV channel
8 p.m. ET All-Star Game TNT (U.S.), TSN (Canada)

Slam Dunk Contest participants, rules

The 2020 Slam Dunk Contest features four players competing in two rounds. Each player attempts two dunks apiece in the first round, then the two highest scorers advance to the final round. The remaining players then perform two more dunks to determine a winner. Each dunk will be scored on a scale of 6-10 by five judges, allowing for a minimum score of 30 and maximum score of 50.

Here are the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest participants, including 2008 winner Dwight Howard:

Player Team
Pat Connaughton Bucks
Aaron Gordon Magic
Dwight Howard Lakers
Derrick Jones Jr. Heat

 

3-point Contest participants, rules

The eight 3-point Contest participants will shoot under a new format this year. The contest includes the typical five locations along the arc with four racks of four regular balls (one point) and one money ball (two points), plus one special rack of five money balls. Players can choose their favorite spots for the money ball racks.

For the 2020 edition, there will also be two “MTN DEW Zones” sitting six feet behind the 3-point line. Each zone holds one green ball worth three points. With the addition of these zones, the NBA has increased the time limit from 60 seconds to 70 seconds and the maximum score from 34 points to 40 points. (You can take a look at the new 3-point Contest layout HERE.)

The contest is separated by two rounds with the three highest-scoring players from the first round advancing to the finals. The player with the highest score in the final round will be crowned the winner.

Here are the 2020 3-point Contest participants, including reigning champion Joe Harris:

Player Team
Davis Bertans Wizards
Devin Booker* Suns
Devonte’ Graham Hornets
Joe Harris Nets
Buddy Hield Kings
Zach LaVine Bulls
Damian Lillard* Trail Blazers
Duncan Robinson Heat
Trae Young Hawks

* Booker named injury replacement for Lillard

Skills Challenge participants, rules

The Skills Challenge puts eight players through an obstacle course that tests their dribbling, passing and shooting abilities. Players will compete against each other one-on-one over three rounds. The player that finishes each individual matchup in the fastest time advances to the next round, leading to a one-on-one final round for the Skills Challenge trophy.

Player Team
Bam Adebayo Heat
Patrick Beverley Clippers
Spencer Dinwiddie Nets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander* Thunder
Khris Middleton Bucks
Derrick Rose* Pistons
Domantas Sabonis Pacers
Pascal Siakam Raptors
Jayson Tatum Celtics

* Gilgeous-Alexander named injury replacement for Rose

This article originally appeared in Sporting News.

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