Victor Oladipo dunks hard in All-Star game win for Team LeBron
By Ryan Eggers
In a winning effort for Team LeBron in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, Victor Oladipo put up a solid performance capped off by a spectacular dunk.
When the NBA changed its All-Star Game to a contest of drafted teams rather than Eastern and Western Conference foes, fans hoped it would bring about a more competitive evening. With an uptick and fouls and defense, such a night was found, and Victor Oladipo was a part of the winning squad.
As a member of the reserves on Team LeBron, Oladipo contributed to a 148-145 win on Sunday evening. In 15 minutes of action, Oladipo put up seven points, three assists, two boards and an impressive three steals. His shot wasn’t on from deep (1-6), but he still made his presence felt.
Early in the game, there was a bit of a taste of what Oladipo had to face in Oklahoma City last year, taking a backing role to other stars. As the game went on, he got a bit more comfortable in taking shots and being aggressive and was able to put up some low-key but decent stats in the meantime.
The highlight of his evening came in the third quarter, though, when a steal turned into the sweetest dunk of the night.
Cradling the ball a bit, Oladipo took it to the rim before reversing into the slam. After his performance last night at the dunk contest where he was only able to get one dunk off, this in-game masterpiece more than made up for it.
That sequence was part of a great third quarter by Team LeBron, which ended with the good guys behind by three going into the final quarter. Oladipo didn’t see any action in the fourth, but definitely left an impact on the game as a reserve. His teammates finished the job late.
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With the win, Oladipo takes home a cool $100,000 along with the rest of his All-Star squad. Now that his busy weekend is over, he’ll have a few days off before leading his Pacers squad into the final stretch of the season, starting against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.