The new All-Star format was a win for the NBA, even though the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lone representative, Donovan Mitchell, didn’t end up on the victorious team.

This year’s showcase was broken up into four mini-games. Mitchell’s veteran USA team, the Stripes, played against a younger USA team, the Stars, and a third team comprised of international players, the World.

Each team played each other in a 12-minute game. The teams with the two best records faced off in a final quarter. The Stripes won their first two games, but ran out of gas in the final game against the younger Stars.

Mitchell played a pivotal role in the Stripes’ win over the Stars in their first game for both good and bad reasons.

With the Stripes up two with 23 seconds left, Mitchell was stripped by Anthony Edwards while attempting a spin move around him. Edwards then hit a transition three to give the Stars a one-point lead with 20 seconds to play.

Mitchell atoned on the final possession. Down one, with under 10-seconds left, Mitchell darted inside, got a pass from LeBron James, and promptly hit an open De’Aaron Fox in the corner for the buzzer-beating game winner.

Mitchell finished that game with 6 points on 2-3 shooting with three assists and two turnovers in his team’s 42-40 victory over the Stars.

The Stripes followed that up with a narrow 48-45 win over the World in their second outing.

Kawhi Leonard took control of that game, going 11-13 from the field for 31 points and two steals in the 12-minute game. This included hitting the game-winning triple with three seconds left.

Mitchell didn’t play as large a role in the second game. He didn’t attempt a shot, but was able to provide a block on Alperen Sengun.

The veteran-laden Stripes came undone in the final game against the younger USA team. James, Kevin Durant, and Leonard were all a step slow after playing three-straight games, and their two younger starters, Jalen Brunson and Jaylen Brown, did little to help.

The Stripes were down 26-9 halfway through the 12-minute game by the time Mitchell checked in. They went on to lose 47-21 with Mitchell providing six points in the contest.

Overall, Mitchell combined for 12 points on 4-7 shooting with three assists in 17 minutes across the three games.

Anthony Edwards received the Kobe Bryant Trophy for All-Star Game MVP.

This new All-Star format was fun. It was a definite win over some of the previous iterations with this resembling a basketball game for most of the night. The first three games were entertaining, before the event ran out of steam at the end. Still, this was a clear step up from how unwatchable the All-Star Game has been in recent years.