| ) Kobe, KD and the West looked ready to deliver a quick KO. Kevin Durant knew better. "With all these great players on the floor, you never know what will happen," Durant said. "Guys making big shots, and they cut it down to one. We were up 18." Just enough, it turned out, to hold off LeBron James and the East in the NBA All-Star game. A bloodied Bryant scored 27 points, moving past Michael Jordan as the career scoring leader in the game, Durant had 36 in an MVP performance, and the Western Conference won 152-149 on Sunday night. James and the East cut a 21-point deficit to one in the closing seconds, but weren't able to move in front. James had 36 points and fellow Heat star Dwyane Wade finished with a triple-double. "It was fun," Durant said. "That's the type of All-Star game you want to see." Blake Griffin scored 22 points for the West, which rang up 88 points in the first half, setting an All-Star record. But he won the game with his defense, picking off James' pass when the East had a chance to tie in the final seconds. "When I tried to throw it late, that's what usually happens and it results in a turnover," James said. "Definitely wish I could have that one back." Griffin then hit one free throw with 1.1 seconds left, and Wade was off on a 3-point attempt from the corner. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, joining Jordan and James as the only players with All-Star game triple-doubles. Bryant was bloodied by a hard foul from Wade and stayed in ... |
