East able to overturn 13-point half-time deficit.
The Eastern All-Stars claimed victory in the All-Star Game in New Orleans on Sunday night, with Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving claiming the MVP award.
Irving had 31 points and 14 assists as he was voted the MVP of the game, while New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony made a record eight 3-pointers and scored 30 points as the East stopped a three-game losing streak with a 163-155 victory, the highest scoring All-Star Game in history.
“We wanted this win,” James said. “They beat us the last three years and they had a lot of bragging rights, so to be able to come through being down 18 was huge.”
Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin each finished with 38 points apiece, but despite holding an 18-point advantage they saw the East score the final 10 points of the game to snatch victory.
The game followed the usual pattern of only becoming a tight encounter in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, with defense lacking both teams were able to exploit the space and score heavily.
It is an annual criticism of the game that it isn’t played at a higher intensity, but taking the game for what it is, the players see it as an opportunity to put on a show offensively rather than playing tight defense.
Chris Paul had 11 points and 13 assists while first-time All-Star Stephen Curry had 12 points and 11 assists for the West, but both men were ultimately outshone by Irving who shot 14 of 17 from the floor and helped the East score 87 points in the second-half.
In what was a memorable weekend for the NBA in New Orleans, there is plenty to look forward to for the remainder of the season as the players return to their respective teams and look ahead to the next few months in the build up to the playoffs.
Final: Eastern All-Stars 163-155 Western All-Stars
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