Pacers' Mathurin wins Rising Stars MVP on All-Star Weekend

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It was fun to see, to receive those chants," Mathurin said. "The Rising Stars Game, I feel like I haven't really gotten that feeling in the NBA. One day I want to be MVP, so it was great to have that feeling pretty early in my career."</p><p>Under the new Rising Stars format started in 2023, the rookies, sophomores and select G Leaguers are split into four teams. Teams play semifinal games against each other to a target score of 40 before the final goes to 25.</p><p>In the final, a rested Team Jalen quickly jumped out to a 10-4 lead and controlled the game from there finding a quick end with back-to-back 3-pointers by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins and Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams to win 26-13.</p><p>It's the second Rising Stars victory for Mathurin; he was on Team Pau who won the event in 2023.</p><p>Mathurin, who had teammates Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Obi Toppin sitting courtside, had a chance to win the semifinal with a pair of free throws in the first game, but the 82.5% free-throw shooter missed both.</p><p>The next time down, he made sure to make up for it with a turnaround jumper for the win.</p><p>"I saw a couple shots going in and I was like, it's a wrap," Mathurin said about what got him going in the first game. "If I'm being totally honest, it's also my city. I had to make sure I brought it home. So that was the main thing for me."</p><p>Wembanyama and Team Pau couldn't overcome Team Detlef in their semifinal, despite 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks from the Spurs' rookie. Team Detlef led by as many as 12, but the Gasol-led team cut the lead to three late. In the end, G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis, who is eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft, nailed a jumper to give his team the victory.</p><p>"It was fun," Buzelis said. "It was good to compete with the best guys in the world and show what kind of talent I have. Excited for the future."</p><p>On the game-winning shot, Buzelis pulled down an offensive rebound from Aldones Williams -- who is on a two-way contract with the Miami Heat -- after he missed a long 3-point attempt.</p><p>"I got the rebound and I've been working on my post game, my post fade," Buzelis said. "I feel like I can make that shot every time. So I took it, and it went in."</p><p>Despite the loss, the weekend isn't over for Wembanyama, who will participate in the Skills Challenge on Saturday night.</p><p>"I mean it was kind of weird because at the same time I want to win and hate losing, but at the same time I have so much going on and that I'm happy that I just knocked one thing off the list this weekend," Wembanyama said.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="16"></td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td width="8"></td> </tr> </table> <a class="back-to-top" href="#top">^ Back to Top ^</a> <table class="footer" border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr align="center"> <td class="copyright"> <font size="1">© 2025 ESPN Internet Ventures. <a href="http://disneytermsofuse.com/" target="_blank">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="https://disneyprivacycenter.com/" target="_blank">Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights</a> are applicable to you. 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Pacers' Mathurin wins Rising Stars MVP on All-Star Weekend - ESPN