LeBron James registered a triple-double in Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game, but it wasn't enough as the West held off the hard-charging East down the stretch for a 148-143 win at Staples Center. James finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become only the second player in the history of the All-Star Game to register a triple-double, joining NBA legend Michael Jordan.
It was all about the hometown kid in Los Angeles on Sunday night, though, as Kobe Bryant led the West to victory with 37 points and 14 rebounds. For his efforts, Bryant was awarded the All-Star Game MVP award to the delight of the crowd. In a weekend where the hometown players took center-stage, with Blake Griffin winning the dunk contest on Saturday night, it was only fitting Bryant would take home the biggest award of the weekend.
Kevin Durant added a solid performance, chipping in 34 points in the win. Chris Paul added 10 points and tied for the team-high with seven assists. Pau Gasol and Russell Westbrook were each in double-figures off the bench, scoring 17 and 12 points respectively. Tim Duncan had just two points in 12 minutes and Carmelo Anthony, playing amid trade rumors that won't go away, added eight points.
For the East, it was the LeBron and Amare show. Stoudemire tied the team-high with 29 points while also grabbing six rebounds. Dwyane Wade added 14 points, Derrick Rose had 11 and Chris Bosh had 14 points off the bench. Ray Allen and Joe Johnson were each in double-figures, as well, scoring 12 and 11 points respectively.
With James filling up the stat-sheet, and leading the team in every major statistical category, it was clear who the star of the show was, though the East did put up a heck of a fight down to the wire before the West squeaked out the win. Unlike Major League Baseball, nothing was at stake in the All-Star Game, with players simply going home with bragging rights. Still, James' performance was impressive, and there were a few moments that turned heads amid a mostly boring game.
For more on the game, check out our NBA All-Star Game StoryStream.