It took nearly all of his two minutes, but Blake Griffin completed his second dunk for a score of 46, securing his spot in the final round. Griffin took seven attempts, but completed his dunk, a hard throw down after a windmill and a pass from teammate Baron Davis. With 95 points, Griffin advanced into the finals against JaVale McGee of the Wizards, who had 99 points.
| 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest First Round | ||||
| Player | Team | 1st Dunk | 2nd Dunk | Total Score |
| JaVale McGee | Wizards | 50 | 49 | 99 |
| Blake Griffin | Clippers | 49 | 46 | 95 |
| DeMar DeRozan | Raptors | 44 | 50 | 94 |
| Serge Ibaka | Thunder | 45 | 45 | 90 |
McGee, who wowed everyone in round one, dunked a whopping three balls at once on his second attempt, good enough for a 49, to advance to the finals. DeRozan on his second dunk threw the ball to himself from beyond the three-point line, securing it with one hand and completing a reverse dunk, good enough for a score of 50.
Before Ibaka's second dunk, a small kid (with a terrible haircut, per Charles Barkley) ran on the court, asking Ibaka to rescue his toy, which was placed on the front of the rim. Ibaka dunked while securing the toy, with his teeth, and scored his second score of 45.