everthing

Team Cavs edge rookie trio win 2022 Taco Bell Skills Challenge

by

2022 Taco Bell Skills Challenge Recap: Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen deliver for the fans of their hometowns.

• Taco Bell Skill Challenge winner: Team Cavs

CLEVELAND † Team Cavs successfully defended the home court during the Taco Bells Skills Challenge 2022 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on State Farm All-Star Saturday Night†

Consisting of Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers trio defeated Team Rooks, led by Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey and Scottie Barnes in a half-court shootout that decided the final round. Shooting one at a time, as per the rules, Team Rooks set the pace to start the round by knocking down its first half-lane shot in just 9.9 seconds. †

Team Cavs nearly cut that in half, with Mobley splashing the squad’s second attempt with 5.5 seconds left. The bucket lifted Team Cavs to the Taco Bells Skills Challenge crown of 2022, but it had to outlast Team Antetokounmpos (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo) to get there.

In the previous round, Team Rooks won the Team Relay and 200 associated Challenge Points with a time of 1:18.5 in a competition with a course focused on five different skills. Team Antetokounmpos and Team Cavs failed to complete the course within the time set by Team Rooks, forcing them into a tiebreak to determine which team would advance to the final round. In the tiebreaker, each team chose one player to shoot three-pointers from the top of the key.

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his team’s first shot, while Garland swung his attempt to send Team Cavs into the final.

The previous round – Team Passing – also led to a tiebreak between Team Rooks and Team Antetokounmpos. Officials broke that tie by determining that Team Antetokounmpos completed more outlet passes than Team Rooks, and the former received 100 challenge points for that round.

Team Cavs captured a dominant position in the Team Shooting portion of the competition from the start. Garland took 21 points to top all Team Antetokounmpos (20 points), as Team Cavs started with 44 points, followed by Team Rooks (32 points).

The NBA changed the format for the Taco Bell Skills Challenge 2022, making it more of a team competition than an individual affair. That change also added more drama to the final rounds by producing exciting scenarios.

— Michael C. Wright, NBA.com

Taco Bell Skills Challenge participants

Team towers†
• Scottie BarnesToronto Raptors
• Cade CunninghamDetroit Pistons
• Josh GiddeyOklahoma City Thunder

Team Cavs† [Winner]
• Jarrett AllenCleveland Cavaliers
• Darius GarlandCleveland Cavaliers
• Evan MobleyCleveland Cavaliers

Team Antetokounmpos†
• Giannis AntetokounmpoMilwaukee Bucks
• Alex AntetokounmpoBirds of Prey905
• Thanasis AntetokounmpoMilwaukee Bucks

Taco Bell Skills Challenge Format

Under the new format for the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, three teams of three players will compete in a four-round competition testing shooting, passing and dribbling. Each of the three teams will compete in the first three rounds of the Taco Bell Skills challenge. The two teams with the most “challenge points” after the first three rounds advance to the final round. Challenge Points are earned by winning each of the first three rounds.

Below you will find an overview per round of the skills and the allocation of Challenge Points. The full rules for the Taco Bell Skills Challenge are available here.

  • Round 1: Team Shooting (Three Teams) – All players from each team will compete individually with their two teammates bouncing back. Each player has 30 seconds to shoot from five different spots on the field, ranging from 10 feet to 30 feet. Players cannot repeat the same shot in succession. Shots taken from each shooting location have different values ​​(one point, two points, three points, four points, or five points). Individual player scores are added together to determine the team score. The team with the highest team score wins round 1 and earns 100 challenge points.
  • Round 2: Team Passing (three teams) – All players of a team will participate together. Each team has 30 seconds to complete passes in three oversized moving targets, which vary in size and distance from the players. Each team must make at least one pass attempt on each goal, and individual players cannot make consecutive passes on the same goal. Completed passes to each target have different values ​​(two points, four points, or six points). The team with the most points wins Team Passing and earns 100 Challenge Points.
  • Round 3: Team Relay (three teams) – All players from each team will participate in a timed relay. Each player must complete the course, which has five skills in the following order: 1.) throw an exhaust pass from the baseline into a moving target; 2.) dribble along the track through three moving pylons; 3.) make a short shot into the lane; 4.) make a three-pointer from the corner against an automated defender; and 5.) dribble to the opposite target and make a basket (such as a dunk, layup, or jump shot). The team with the fastest time wins round 3 and earns 200 challenge points.
  • Final Round: Half-court Shot (two teams) – The two teams advancing to the final round will compete one at a time and all players from each team will participate in an attempt to complete a half-court shot. Team 1 sets the time to beat on a shot made or when the clock expires (maximum 1 minute 30 seconds). The team that completes a half-court shot in the fastest time wins the Taco Bell Skills challenge. In the event of a tie, the two teams repeat the final round.

† Event history and past winners
† NBA All-Star 2022: Full Coverage
† All-Star Weekend: Event Schedule