Tyrese Maxey to Start in All-Star Game After Saturday’s 3‑Point Exit; New Format and Broadcaster Take Center Stage
Tyrese Maxey will take the floor tonight in the NBA All‑Star Game, earning his first career All‑Star start even after an early exit from the 3‑Point Contest. The showcase tips off from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles at about 5 p. m. Eastern Standard Time with a revamped tournament structure and a new national broadcast home for the event.
Maxey’s mixed weekend: first All‑Star start, short 3‑Point outing
Maxey’s All‑Star weekend was a study in highs and lows. The Philadelphia guard became the first player from his team to start an All‑Star Game since a Hall of Famer did so in 2010, marking a milestone after an improbable arrival in the city in 2020. Yet his Saturday night at the Intuit Dome ended sooner than fans hoped when he scored just 17 points in the first round of the 3‑Point Contest and failed to advance.
Maxey salvaged a bit of momentum late in his shootout with a strong showing on the Moneyball rack in the corner, knocking down three of five shots there, but the score fell short of the 23 typically needed to move on. Even so, his selection as a starter underscores how his season and profile have risen—he’s entering tonight’s game as one of the league’s more dynamic scorers and playmakers.
Saturday’s contest was ultimately won by Damian Lillard, who captured his third 3‑Point title with a 29‑27 victory over Devin Booker in a dramatic final round.
New format, new broadcast and a tighter All‑Star window
The All‑Star Game arrives with its fourth consecutive format change, this time staged as a three‑team tournament that more closely resembles a short championship than a single exhibition. Teams labeled USA Stars, USA Stripes and World will play a round‑robin slate of at least two 12‑minute games each; the top two teams will then meet in a short finale scheduled for 7: 10 p. m. Eastern Standard Time.
The earlier start time is deliberate: broadcasters have trimmed the traditional late‑evening slot so the league’s showcase fits into a compact prime‑time window and dovetails with a major international sports calendar. The Intuit Dome will host tonight’s slate, which includes national announcing talent calling their first All‑Star game telecast, supported by a trio of high‑profile analysts and experienced sidelines reporters.
That new broadcast home marks the first time the All‑Star Game is airing with this partner since the early 2000s. The league’s long‑term media deal reshaped where marquee events land and created this high‑profile shift for tonight’s festivities.
What Sixers fans should watch for
Joel Embiid’s absence from the roster is notable. The reigning MVP missed the cut for this year’s All‑Star lineup and is carrying a sore right knee that sidelined him for a pair of games before the weekend. His extra rest could help the team down the stretch, but it also means Sixers supporters will be looking to Maxey and other young contributors to carry the franchise’s All‑Star presence.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe provided an encouraging sign for the franchise Friday night, earning MVP honors in the Rising Stars showcase after a two‑game mini‑tournament in which he hit a game‑winning shot and erupted for a 10‑point run. His performance suggests the Sixers’ youth movement can produce immediate fireworks even as the team navigates injuries and roster shifts.
For Philadelphia fans tracking the regular season, tonight’s All‑Star festivities are both a celebration and a checkpoint. Maxey’s starting nod confirms his emergence as a cornerstone, even as Saturday’s 3‑Point result serves as a reminder that single‑night outcomes rarely define a player’s impact over an entire season. The focus now shifts to tonight’s tournament format—two short, intense games followed by a quick final—and whether Maxey and his peers can convert All‑Star energy into momentum for the stretch run.
