Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell won the Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles on Saturday, but many cried foul at a low score Dennis Smith Jr. received.
Mitchell’s total score of 98 through the first two rounds placed him in the finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Larry Nance Jr., where Mitchell won with a dunk designed to pay tribute to Vince Carter, circa 2000, in a retro Toronto Raptors uniform.
Mitchell also jumped over short actor Kevin Hart for a dunk earlier in the night.
But Dallas Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. took to Twitter to air a grievance about how he was scored in the opening rounds.
Smith Jr. earned a 39 out of 50 for a between-the-legs, 360-degree dunk he made, while Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers received a 31 when he missed all three attempts in one round.
@Dennis1SmithJr Double pump= 39@VicOladipo No dunk= 31
— Dennis Smith Jr. (@Dennis1SmithJr) February 18, 2018
What that look like?
Fans and writers alike questioned whether Smith should have scored so low, which basically excluded him from the final round.
Dennis Smith Jr. got robbed by people using props, dude just walked up and threw it down
— Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) February 18, 2018
Dear @nba,
— Mavs Fans For Life (@MavsFansForLife) February 18, 2018
Dennis Smith Jr was robbed. This is the dunk contest, not America’s Got Talent with props. He was the only one who wanted to just dunk (had the best dunk) and have a contest to remember. I won’t remember this contest.
RT if you agree.
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