Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the best young players in the league, should’ve been walking around Los Angeles and Staples Center on Sunday soaking in everything.
It was, after all, his first trip to an All-Star game at just 22 years old, a monumental accomplishment and the first of many trips that are sure to follow.
It was special — but he knew the day would mean even more for his friend, rival and teammate for the day, Philadelphia center Joel Embiid.
“It’s amazing what he’s done,” Towns said. “Not many people deserve this moment like him.”
Embiid started for Stephen Curry’s team Sunday, and in his first All-Star game appearance, he was one of the game’s brightest stars. In 20 minutes he scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
That he even was healthy enough to take part in the game is a victory in itself.
In his young career, he’s already broken his right foot twice and tore the meniscus in his left knee. He played just 31 games in the first three years after he was drafted.
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Chris Rock sits courtside at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Actors Chadwick Boseman, center, and Michael B. Jordan, left, sit courtside at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Chance the Rapper bites into a piece of pizza courtside at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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N.E.R.D perform with team mascots on the court at halftime of the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Fergie sings the National Anthem at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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LeBron James laughs as he waits to receive his MVP trophy after leading Team LeBron to a 148-145 win over Team Stephen at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Comedian Tracy Morgan eats a hot dog courtside at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Kevin Hart is center stage during a pregame show at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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LeBron James captains Team LeBron against Team Stephen (Curry) at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Team Stephen center Karl Anthony-Towns pulls down a rebound over Team LeBron center Andre Drummond during second half action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Stephen Curry struggles to dribble past the defense of Victor Oladipo during second half action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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DeMar DeRozan of Team Stephen gets by Kevin Durant of Team LeBron during second half action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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DeMar DeRozan leads Joel Embiid to the court after the starting lineup for Team Stephen is announed at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Team Stephen defender Draymond Green blocks the shot of Team LeBron center Al Horford during second half action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Stephen Curry stays warm on the sideline during a break in the action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Jerry West chats with Bill Russel and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, left, courtside at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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LeBron James knocks Joel Embiid to the floor after losing control of the ball during first half action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Russell Westbrook challenges Team Stephen defender DeMar DeRozan during first half action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Joel Embiid signals after hitting a three-pointer for Team Stephen in the first half at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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DeMar DeRozan is fouled by Paul George during the last minute of play at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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LeBron James is awarded the MVP trophy after leading Team LeBron to a 148-145 win over Team Stephen at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Stephen Curry is trapped by Team LeBron defenders as he tries to attempt a last second shot at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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LeBron James, right, and Kevin Durant celebrate a close win over Team Stephen Curry at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Russell Westbrook reacts after a kicked ball call prevented a fast break for Team LeBron at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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LeBron James yells out after hitting a three-pointer late in the second half at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Russell Westrbrook fouls Giannis Antetokounmpo as LeBron James looks on during first half action in the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Team LeBron captain LeBron James shoots over Draymond Green to tie the score late in the game at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo slams the ball home for two points over Team LeBron player Paul George during second half action at the NBA All Star game at Staples Center.
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Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, sporting a Darrell Griffith jersey, jumps over three people, including comedian Kevin Hart, during the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night at Staples Center.
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Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. flies to the basket during the Slam Dunk Contest.
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Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oldaipo puts on a “Black Panther” mask given to him by the star of the blockbuster movie, Chadwick Bosman, during the Slam Dunk Contest.
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Pacers guard Victor Oladipo wears a “Black Panther” mask while participating in the Slam Dunk contest.
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Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. wears his father’s Phoenix Suns uniform during the Slam Dunk Contest.
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell winds up as he elevates during the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night at Staples Center.
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Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. throws down a windmill dunk after taking a pass from his father, Larry Nance Sr., who won the first Slam Dunk contest in 1984.
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell is congratulated by Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. after winning the Slam Dunk Contest.
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Suns guard’ Devin Booker lines up a shot during the Three-Point Shooting Contest on Saturday night at Staples Center.
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Spencer Dinwiddie poses with the Skills Challenge Trophy after winning the competition on Saturday night at Staples Center.
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Lou Williams competed in the Skills Challenge on Saturday night at Staples Center. He would lose in the first round to eventual champion Spencer Dinwiddie.
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Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic of Team World celebrates after receiving the Rising Stars Challenge MVP Trophy from Chris Webber on Friday night at Staples Center.
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Buddy Hield of Team World is defended by Jaylen Brown of Team USA during the Rising Stars Challenge.
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Team World’s Bogdan Bogdanovic made seven three-pointers to finish with 26 points in the Rising Stars game.
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Dennis Smith Jr., of Team USA elevates for a dunk during the Rising Stars game.
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Lauri Markkanen of Team World finishes off a dunk during the Rising Stars game at Staples Center.
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Team World’s Dillon Brooks is set to throw down a dunk during the Rising Stars game on Friday.
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Team USA forward Kyle Kuzma attempts a reverse layup against Domantas Sabonis of Team World during the Rising Stars game.
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Team World forward Ben Simmons sends a pass ahead to a teammate during the Rising Stars game on Friday night at Staples Center.
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Quavo, center, accepts the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP Trophy on Friday evening.
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Michael B. Jordan and Jason Williams greet each other during the Celebrity Game at Los Angeles Convention Center on Friday.
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Nick Cannon and Justin Bieber watch the Celebrity Game from Team Lakers bench on Friday.
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Actor Jamie Foxx jokes around before the start of the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday.
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Rachel DeMita of Team Clippers attempts a shot against Stefanie Dolson of Team Lakers during the 2018 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at Los Angeles Convention Center.
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Team Clippers’ Quavo leads a fast break against Team Lakers’ Justin Bieber during the 2018 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday at Los Angeles Convention Center.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images) But as the poster child for Philadelphia’s “process,” Embiid’s been a star now that he’s healthy. Cleared to participate in back-to-back games just weeks ago, he’s a big reason the 76ers are primed to make the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since the organization began a lengthy rebuild that required patience through extended periods of losing.
“It was special. It was probably more special than it should’ve been because I went through so much,” he said. “This year’s been amazing.”
Sunday, everyone got to see why Embiid should be a big part of the league’s future, too.
In key moments, he scored on LeBron James in the post on one end and swatted away a Paul George shot on the other.
“Before the game, during the whole season, I kind of thought I was a top-five, top-10 player in the league. Coming in here before the game, I wanted confirmation of it,” Embiid said. “I felt like I can hang with them. I had a lot of fun.”
But James hit the tying three over him and when James scored the go-ahead basket in the final minute, Embiid was on the bench instead of protecting the rim.
“I feel like I’m the best defensive player in the league,” he said, disappointed he wasn’t able to help make a key stop.
But he’ll get his chances in the future.
Despite the NBA evolving into a game with fewer centers, the guys at that position Sunday were some of the most effective.
Towns scored 17 points and Detroit center Andre Drummond scored 14 points on seven-for-seven shooting. All three players aren’t just brutes. Embiid and Towns have range that extends beyond the three-point line, and Drummond is a gifted passer.
“The big men aren’t dead. We’re still here making some noise,” Drummond said. “We’ve adapted very well to the new, smaller ball game, but we’re still able to play our game in the post too. All of us bigs are very versatile.”
And maybe none more so than Embiid and Towns.
“We’re going to want to kill each other on the court. We’re great friends off it. We’re like best friends. But we understand our job,” Towns said. “And we understand we want to be the best. And we feel like we’re the best of the best at what we do, especially our position.”
Angeleno all-stars
The crowd was so intense, Russell Westbrook had to ask everyone to step back. George and James Harden also had to move through a mass of media following Sunday’s game.
With no Lakers and Clippers around, they were the hometown story.
“It was humbling, a humbling experience to be able to be here in L.A.,” Westbrook said. “And I’m enjoying the moment.”
Westbrook, Harden, George and Klay Thompson — all players who grew up in Los Angeles or the surrounding area — all scored in double figures, with George leading the group with 16 points.
Harden struggled the most, shooting just five for 19.
Kevin Durant said the lack of Clippers and Lakers made for a different feel.
“That was odd,” he said. “Usually when you’ve got a guy playing in their city, everybody kind of rallies around him and supports him. But it was different not having a Laker or a Clipper here.”
Playoff crunch
With the All-Star game now behind them, players can begin looking toward the postseason — something James said was still a ways off.
But in the Western Conference, eight teams are within 4.5 games of one another, which could result in swings from home-court advantage in the first round to a spot outside the playoffs.
New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, the star big man for one of those teams, said it’s accelerated the push for the playoffs in the West.
“It started a couple of weeks ago, honestly,” he said. “Everyone’s in that pool right there, and you’re trying to get into the best playoff spot. It’s going to come down to the last game, last couple of games I think.”
Etc.
Minnesota guard Jimmy Butler didn’t play in the game after his team played a back-to-back right before the All-Star break. Butler leads the NBA with 37.3 minutes played per game.… Former Lakers Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson joined Julius Erving and Bill Russell on the court during a timeout as they were honored by the NBA.… Davis began the game wearing the jersey of DeMarcus Cousins, his teammate who was unable to play in the game because of a torn Achilles tendon.… Travis Wear of the South Bay Lakers scored six points for the G League USA Team as they defeated the Mexican National team 88-67 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday.
dan.woike@latimes.com
Twitter: @DanWoikeSports
