INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The world’s best basketball players participated in what could’ve been the most unusual game of their careers Sunday, in a generally well-received mini-tournament that included welcomed doses of energy, a tad of confusion and perhaps one foreseeable flaw.

A team of younger American standouts, dubbed “USA Stars,” beat the veteran “USA Stripes” squad 41-21 in the radically revamped 75th NBA All-Star Game.

The mid-season exhibition featured three squads, the two American sides and “Team World,” a roster filled with the NBA’s best foreign players.

The association’s midseason celebration had, in recent years, morphed into a high-scoring, defense-less dunk fest that had grown tiresome, even for the most dedicated basketball fans.

But Sunday’s contest felt different according to the players.

“All three teams came out there and played good ball,” said Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant of Stripes, a team informally dubbed the “Old Heads.” “It was definitely a step up in a competitive department compared to (the All-Star Game of) last season.”

The 2024 All-Star Game nearly topped 400 total pints in a 211-186 East victory over the West. The 2025 game also featured a mini-tournament format.

The three-way play of Sunday unfolded with 315 points of offense, down from recent games thanks to renewed sparks of energy and defense.

“I like this format,” All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves said. “I think it makes us compete, because it’s only 12 minutes (at a time) and the three different teams, you separate the guys, I think it was really good.”

This year’s contest was clearly different from past midseason celebrations, winning Stars coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.

“You saw guys getting upset when shots didn’t go or when plays weren’t made,” said Bickerstaff, coach of the resurgent Detroit Pistons. “I thought the competition level was high, but you could tell the guys were bought into it.”

Spark of defense makes ASG return

Defense made its triumphant return to the All-Star hardwood in game that recorded 25 steals and 16 blocked shots.

In that infamous 2024 run-and-dunk game, there were 14 steals and just a trio of blocked shots.

The intensity of Sunday was put into motion early by World center Victor Wembanyama, who scored seven points in the first 90 seconds of play and blocked three shots in the first 12-plus minutes.

“He set the tone, man,” Edwards said. “And it woke me up for sure.”

Tie-breaking confusion almost came to pass

This All-Star Game format called for the three teams to play each other once, in 12-minute games, with the two best teams advancing to the final.

So the total of four games resulted in a bit more than 48 minutes of play, virtually equaling a regular NBA game — only this one featuring three teams rather than a normal two.

The format also opened a door to the possibility of the three-way tie at 1-1 with point differential as a potential tiebreaker.

After the Stars’ 37-35 win over World in Game 1 and the Stripes’ 42-40 triumph over the youngsters in Game 2, that set up potential chaos for Game 3 between World and the veterans.

A World win over Stripes would’ve created a 1-1 logjam.