It was Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant's night on Sunday in Toronto, as he made his 18th and final appearance in the NBA All-Star Game.
However, it was West teammate and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook who took home MVP honors -- scoring 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting, with a 7-of-17 mark from downtown in the West's 196-173 win over the East in Toronto. He also brought in eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
Westbrook also took home MVP honors in 2015, making him the first player to win back-to-back awards since Bob Pettit in 1958-59. More NBA All-Star Game coverage inside the Chat Sports iPhone and Android apps!
Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George made a bid for the MVP in a losing effort, coming up just one point short of Wilt Chamberlain's single-game scoring record (42) with 41. George did set a record for most threes in an All-Star Game (9), besting New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony's previous mark of eight by one make.
However, the Air Canada Centre was Westbrook's playground all night long. The West set All-Star Game records for points scored and made threes (31), and it was Westbrook who was the catalyst -- draining open looks all night long and throwing down vicious dunks including this one late:
In short, it was a dominant performance among banner performances for the entire West squad. While it didn't take away from Kobe's special night, it was proof positive of how elite Westbrook really is and how forgotten he sometimes become with the national spotlight squarely on 2014-15 NBA MVP and Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.
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