Salt Lake Great: Team Utah wins skills challenge

SALT LAKE CITY — The hometown team had the sharpest skills on Saturday night.

The Utah Jazz group of Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton beat out Team Antetokounmpo and Team Rookies to win the All-Star skills challenge.

“Doing it for Utah, man,” Clarkson said during the on-court trophy ceremony afterward. “We appreciate everybody showing up. You already know. This is putting on for the city and representing. Love.”

The competition involved three rounds: relay, passing and shooting. The relay round included an obstacle course with moving LED screens lit up by neon lights. The passing required players to move from spot to spot while throwing feeds into moving targets.

The shooting round, which was last, made the players rebound for one another and pass to a teammate spotting up around the court for 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-point shots.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, nursing a sore wrist, was an unofficial coach for his team with Jrue Holiday stepping in to play with his brothers, Thanasis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Alex Antetokounmpo of the G League’s Wisconsin Herd.

The rookies team featured Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic, Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets and Jaden Ivey of the Detroit Pistons.

“It feels good, especially to do it in front of the home team,” Sexton said, as Jazz coach Will Hardy sat courtside for the event. “We got amazing energy from the crowd; we appreciate you all.”

It was the third time Utah players won the event since it was introduced in 2003, joining Trey Burke (2014) and Deron Williams (2008).