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NBA All-Star Game: West top East 152-149
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E-mail CNTV, February 28, 2012
The NBA's All-Star weekend wrapped up with the main event, the 2012 All-Star showcase. The top players from the Eastern and Western conferences squared-off and delivered a dramatic final-second finish.
In Orlando, Kobe Bryant, hoping to win his 5th All-Star MVP, he put the West on the board with a jumper. Bryant's teammates got off to a quick start, but LeBron James made his presence known for the East All-Stars. James' crew was never far behind.
But the West would dominate the first half. Kevin Durant hammered down an ally-oop. And Chris Paul kept the crazy highlights coming. Paul set up teammate Blake Griffin with a no-look pass. Griffin finished in style, two more for the West.
The Clippers' duo came up with a "Lob City" spectacular. The West led by 8. But there was more to come. Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala drove to the rim for a big finish. He tried to bring the East back from a 16-point deficit.
The Miami Heat duo of James and Dwayne Wade came up with a spectacular play...but the East never closed in within single digits in the first half. The West All-Stars rode the wave provided by Paul. CP3 dished out another neat back pass, this time to Russell Westbrook. The West would end the first half with a big 88-69 lead
The game picked up in intensity in the second half...Paul penetrated and banked a layup, and the mood became more competitive. Chicago's Derrick Rose drilled a triple from downtown...and marked a start of a big comeback from the East.
Bryant scored 27 points on the night and moved past Michael Jordan to become the leading scorer in NBA All-Star Game history, with a total of 271. James scored a deuce off a full-court pass. He led the East in scoring with 36 points.
He followed that with a huge triple. The East All-Stars cut the West's lead to 3 points down the stretch. Orlando's Dwight Howard played a relatively quiet game, but thrilled the home fans with a throwdown.
The Nets' Deron Williams scored off a steal, and the East would make it a one point game with 1 minute and 40 seconds to go. Inside 40 seconds now, Westbrook misses, but Griffin followed strong. He scored 22 points as the West restored a 3 point advantage.
The East looked for the tie. Williams took the chance from distance, but his three point try was off-target. It looked like victory for the West.
D-Wade still had one more shot left for the East. His desperation three didn't fall either, and the West closed it out 152-149. Wade finished with with a solo triple double double of 24 points, 10 boards and 10 assists. But Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant led the West with 36 points, and won his first All-Star Most Valuable Player award.
