The lone current Chicago Bulls player involved in this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend festivities, second-year forward Matas Buzelis, at least will get to go home having notched some championship hardware.
After new two-way Bulls point guard Mac McClung opted to sit out of the Rising Stars tournament, Buzelis became the lone Chicago player partaking in the fun.
The 21-year-old was starting on a relatively loaded squad for Hall of Fame former NBA swingman Vince Carter’s “Team Vince,” alongside Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe at the point, Washington Wizards wing Kyshawn George at shooting guard, Brooklyn Nets rookie Egor Demin at small forward, and New Orleans Pelicans rookie center Derik Queen manning the middle.
San Antonio Spurs rookie small forward Carter Bryant and second-year Memphis Grizzlies swingman Jaylen Wells were the club’s two bench pieces.
Semifinal Game 1: Team Melo vs Team Austin
In the semifinal round, all teams were playing towards a target score of 40 — meaning the first club to reach 40 points would move on to the final.
Carmelo Anthony’s Team Melo — led by Spurs star guards Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan and Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard — prevailed over what would have been McClung’s G League squad, the Austin Rivers-coached Team Austin.
Dylan Harper’s brother, Boston Celtics two-way shooting guard Ron Harper Jr., and rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser were the standout names for Team Austin. Miami Heat wing Jahmir Young was brought in to replace McClung, who himself had been a replacement player.
Clingan instantly made a huge impression, scoring Team Melo’s first seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field, via two dunks and one trey. He developed an early rhythm with the two Spurs guards, Harper and Castle. Clingan knocked in nine of Team Melo’s first 14 points.
Clingan’s deep-bench backup in Portland, rookie Yang Hansen, showed promising flashes early on the other side.
Team Melo closed the contest on a 12-2 kick, buoyed by a pair of Reed Sheppard triples, some Castle free throws, and a Fears floater. With Team Melo leading by four points, 38-34, Ron Harper Jr. heaved a running pull-up try from deep. Team Melo recovered the rock, and Dylan Harper put the game away by icing a 14-foot step back jumper over his big brother. Their dad, Bulls champ Ron Harper, seemed to enjoy the moment from his courtside perch.
DYLAN HARPER GAME-WINNER!
TEAM MELO DEFEATS TEAM AUSTIN ? pic.twitter.com/Sz1eCHeueB
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2026
Sheppard and Clingan paced Team Melo with nine points apiece, as they awaited the winner of the other semifinal series.
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Semifinal Game 2: Team T-Mac vs Team Vince
In a far more evenly matched contest than the Anthony-Rivers clash, Team Vince squared off against a squad of young hoopers coached by Carter’s cousin (by marriage), Tracy McGrady.
Rookie of the Year contender Kon Knueppel may have been the headliner for Team T-Mac, but Cleveland Cavaliers surprise Jaylon Tyson paced the squad with 10 points.
Buzelis started off strong for Team Vince, blocking a Team T-Mac look beneath the basket and then nailing a corner 3-pointer on the other end.
Matas knocks down his first bucket in the Rising Stars game! pic.twitter.com/8KL8SVi55O
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 14, 2026
Team T-Mac galloped to a red-hot 15-7 start over Team Vince, capped by a long Tre Johnson 3-point over his Wizards teammate Kyshawn George.
Buzelis was aggressive early, looking for his shot in the midrange and beneath the rack. He also notched a slick flush off a Wells alley-oop.
Jaylen Wells sends Matas upstairs ?? pic.twitter.com/SjB1D07XmI
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 14, 2026
Back-to-back treys and a little lay-in from V.J. Edgecombe (the second off a Buzelis dime) helped put Team Vince within a point of wrapping things up, 39-32. But a scary rally from Team T-Mac kept things interesting late. Edgecombe nailed a long double to help Team Vince advance, ultimately chipping in his team’s final 10 points to nab the 41-36 win.
All told, Edgecombe paced the squad with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor (3-of-4 from deep) and 2-of-2 from the foul line, plus five rebounds and an assist. Buzelis chipped in six points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe, plus two boards and two dimes.
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Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesChampionship Game: Team Vince vs Team Melo
Where the two semifinal bouts boasted some solid shooting, the championship clash felt like a college scrimmage. Neither team could hit the broad side of the barn beyond the arc early on. Instead, both sides leaned on their midrange game and finishing for a while.
Facing a tighter 25-point target score, each squad exhibited a more egalitarian approach, heavy on movement and second-chance points.
MATAS WITH THE FOOTWORK ? pic.twitter.com/EVCBiylg8z
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 14, 2026
A Reed Sheppard ankle-breaking 27-foot trey and a Stephon Castle midrange pull-up jumper brought Team Melo up by a point, 22-21, before a hard-fought V.J. Edgecombe putback layup got Team Vince the lead, 23-22. A Stephon Castle putback dunk returned the edge to Team Melo. Edgecombe, feeling clutch, drove inside, drawing a foul from Donovan Clingan, and promptly closed out the contest with two straight free throws and a W for Team Vince — and, thus, a W for Matas Buzelis.
Surprisingly, Team Melo wound up finishing as, by far, the superior 3-point shooting squad. The team went 6-of-14 from long range, with both Harper and Clingan connecting on two triples. Team Vince went 1-of-14 from distance. The story of the game, really, came down to cleaning the glass. Team Vince out-rebounded Team Melo by a significant 15-10 margin.
Buzelis finished with four points on 2-of-3 shooting and a rebound in 4:18.
Among these young guns, Edgecombe and Harper were the standouts who consistently asserted themselves across multiple games. Their size and strength helped them get buckets in critical situations.
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