Donovan Mitchell Wins Dunk Contest, Smith Jr. Robbed

Mavs fans everywhere had high hopes for Dennis Smith Jr. in his first appearance at the dunk contest, but he was upstaged by fellow rookie Donovan Mitchell.

Victor Oladipo had a rough outing during the contest Saturday night, but Larry Nance Jr., Dennis Smith Jr. and Donovan Mitchell set off fireworks during the event. Mitchell took home his first slam dunk title, defeating Larry Nance Jr. in the final round.

Mitchell sealed his victory by jumping over Kevin Hart and several other children in an apparent nod to former Jazz and University of Louisville player Darrell Griffith.

Larry Nance Jr. paid homage to his father by wearing his jersey and throwing down an impressive rock-the-cradle dunk which sent the crowd into a frenzy. The Mavs were hoping their prized rookie could show off his hops and impressive dunks to further cement himself as one of if not the league’s best rookie.

Even though Smith Jr. failed to advance to the second round of the contest, he had the best dunk of the night with his second dunk.

After a night of surprises in the other events, Donovan Mitchell confirmed why he was the favorite to win the competition, even if Dennis Smith Jr. had less than kind words to say to the judges about it on twitter afterwards.

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Spencer Dinwiddie won the skills challenge which included an apparent attempt of cheating by Joel Embiid, and Devin Booker defeated Klay Thompson in the final round of the three-point shootout. Dennis Smith Jr. finished his weekend hoping to build on his impressive performance in the Rising Stars game the night before.

The NBA now turns its attention to Sunday’s All-Star game between Team Lebron and Team Stephen.

Mavs fans can be excited about the national attention that Dennis Smith Jr. has gotten in his first year with the Mavericks. The rookie will likely be named to an All-Rookie team, and has already participated in two All-Star weekend events.

Next: How Soon Will Dennis Smith Jr. Be An All-Star?

The Mavs are getting everything they would’ve hoped for from their prized rookie.