Kevin Durant scored 36 points and grabbed seven rebounds, leading the Western Conference All-Stars to a 152-149 win over the Eastern Conference in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game at Amway Center in Orlando. LeBron James had 36 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in leading a furious East comeback from down 21 in the fourth quarter, but they fell just short.
Durant was named game MVP. Dwyane Wade had the third triple-double in All-Star Game history with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Kobe Bryant missed one of two free throws with 16.9 seconds remaining, giving the East a chance to tie with a two-pointer or win it with a three, but Deron Williams ariballed a three-pointer in the final seconds. Blake Griffin hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to three points with 1.1 seconds remaining, but Wade missed a contested three at the buzzer.
Kobe scored 27 points on the night, giving him 271 in his 13 All-Star Games played, breaking Michael Jordan's All-Star scoring record.
Most Points, NBA All-Star History | |||
Rank | Player | Points | Games |
1 | Kobe Bryant | 271 | 13 |
2 | Michael Jordan | 262 | 13 |
3 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 251 | 19 |
4 | Oscar Robertson | 246 | 12 |
Chris Paul had 12 assists to go along with eight points and five rebounds in 31 minutes. Griffin ended with 22 points and eight boards in 31 minutes.
Lakers center Andrew Bynum started and played five and a half minutes, grabbing three rebounds. He did not play after that, by design, as Bynum had a routine knee injection on Friday.