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| Gerard Herbert/AP |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PASIG--Anthony Davis lit up his
battleground, the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, firing a league
record 52 points to lift the Western Conference All-Stars to a 192-182
win over their Eastern Conference counterparts in the 2017 NBA All-Star
Game on Monday (Philippine Time).
Davis went 26-of-39 from the field, most coming off dunks, to break the old record of 42 set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962.
While
both teams displayed their perfect offensive touch, the game remained
close for most parts until the West pulled away for good midway through
the fourth quarter.
From
there, the focus shifted to whether the West will shatter its own team
record of 196 points set last year and even breach the 200-point mark,
especially when late slams from the Pelicans star put the team at 187
with 2:17 left.
But after a James Harden three with 1:48 to go, the West slowed down and settled for 192.
Davis'
record-setting performance earned him All-Star Game MVP honor, becoming
the 14th player to win it at his club's homecourt.
Russell
Westbrook added 41 points in three quarters, but his main highlight was
an alley-oop dunk off a Kevin Durant assist, a sign that their "cold
war" that stemmed from the latter's decision to leave Oklahoma City for
Golden State has already been resolved.
Durant would come up with a triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists with two steals.
DeMarcus
Cousins, who is the central figure of latest NBA trade rumors, only
played for two minutes and chipped in three points for the West.
Giannis
Antetokounmpo made the most out of his NBA All-Star debut, leading the
East with 30 points that included a follow-up posterizer against Steph
Curry.
Meanwhile,
some Filipino NBA fans and members of the media were given a treat as
Basketball TV, the main TV broadcaster of the NBA in the Philippines,
hosted a live viewing party at the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant at
Capitol Commons.
Former
NBA star Kevin Martin was the special guest of the event, which capped
off the NBA All-Star Festival that saw him also participating in the
other itineraries of the weekend-long festivities.
"It's
great. You guys welcomed me with open arms. We're very blessed with
opportunities to be able to come here, see the joy, and be part of the
All-Star Festival Weekend," said Martin.
Box Scores:
West
192-Davis 52, Westbrook 41, Curry 21, Durant 21, Harden 12, Thompson
12, Gasol 10, Hayward 8, Jordan 6, Leonard 4, Cousins 3, Green 2
East
182-Antetokounmpo 30, James 23, Irving 22, Thomas 20, Lowry 19, DeRozan
16, Wall 12, Anthony 10, Walker 7, Butler 6, Millsap 5
Quarterscores: 48-53, 97-92, 144-139, 192-182
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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