Bryant nets 37 points, gets NBA All-Star MVP
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant felt LeBron James coming, seeking one of his chase-down blocks that would have further energized an East team that had momentum.
So Bryant jumped a little bit quicker and slammed it down over his pursuer — “I kind of snuck it by him,” Bryant said — then threw in a 3-pointer on the next possession for good measure to put the West back in control.
Nothing was going to stop Bryant from a victory in this All-Star game, not on his home floor.
Shining brightest again among the stars, Bryant brought Showtime back to the All-Star game, scoring 37 points and tying a record with his fourth MVP award in the Western Conference’s 148-143 victory over the East on Sunday night.
“I feel like we have a sense of responsibility and we are voted in for what we do during the season, which is play hard,” Bryant said. “And we come here, that’s what the fans want to see. They want to see us go at it and see us compete and that’s what I try to do and that’s what I try to tell my teammates to do.”
Returning to the game he dominates after a one-year absence, Bryant added 14 rebounds in a spectacular performance in front of the usual celebrity-filled crowd that turns out to see his Lakers at Staples Center.
“It was like playing in a playground. It was like a pickup game almost,” Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant said. “Just to watch it, I see it on TV all the time, I play against him all the time. But to be on his team and see the things that he was doing out there is just amazing.”
Durant chipped in 34 points, scoring five straight after the East cut a 17-point deficit after three quarters to two points with 2:34 to play. The NBA scoring leader added the clinching free throws after the East got back within three in the final seconds.
James powered the East rally, finishing with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to join Michael Jordan as the only players with a triple-double in the All-Star game. Amare Stoudemire also scored 29, but Miami’s Dwyane Wade, the MVP of the East‘s win last year, had to leave with an ankle injury after scoring 14.
