The NBA will completely alter the format of the upcoming All-Star Game, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports, resetting the game score to zero after the second and third quarters, to create the equivalent of three “mini-games”.
The winner of each mini-game will be awarded $100,000 for its preassigned Chicago area charity.
In the final quarter, the team’s cumulative points for the first three quarters will be brought back into the fold and there will be a target overall score equal to the cumulative total of the winning team’s score in each of the three “mini-games” plus 24, in honor of Kobe Bryant.
If Team Giannis wins the first quarter 25-20, Team LeBron wins the second quarter 20-15 and Team Giannis wins the third quarter 30-25, then the target score that the two teams will aim for in the final score would be 99. There will not be a game clock in the fourth and final quarter.
Let’s take a closer look at the math behind that target score of 99. The cumulative score of the winning teams in the first three games would be 25+20+30. Plus the additional 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant.
In that scenario, Team LeBron would begin the fourth quarter with 65 (20+20+25) and Team Giannis would begin the fourth with 70 (25+15+30).
The first team to reach the target score of 99 would win the final “mini game” and an additional $200,000 would go to their charity.
In our scenario, because Team Giannis had more cumulative points (70 vs. LeBron’s 65) through the first three “mini games”, they would be closer to reaching the total score.
| Period | Team Giannis | Team LeBron | Winning Score |
| 1st Q | 25 | 20 | 25 |
| 2nd Q | 15 | 20 | 20 |
| 3rd Q | 30 | 25 | 30 |
| Total | 70 | 65 | 75 |
