Kobe Bryant made his final All-Star Game appearance in a record-setting night as the West dominated the East, 196-173 on Sunday in Toronto. Russell Westbrook took home his second consecutive All-Star Game MVP award as the West broke the record for points scored by a whopping 33 points.
NBA All-Star Game 2016: Kobe Bryant says goodbye to the All-Star Game as West dominates East
Behind All-Star Game MVP Russell Westbrook, the West scored a record 196 points en route to a 23-point win.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Bryant had 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists in his final All-Star Game. He was treated to two montages before the game and a heartfelt speech from Magic Johnson. He addressed the crowd before tip-off, thanking the fans for voting him into a starting spot.
He was sent off to a standing ovation, fitting for the 18-time All-Star -- and four-time All-Star Game MVP.
Offense ruled as usual on Sunday, but even more so than normal. No team had scored more than 90 points in a half in All-Star Game history, but both teams dropped 90 in the first half. The West led 92-90 heading into the locker room after scoring 52 points in the second quarter.
They never slowed, scoring a ridiculous 104 points in the second half on their way to a dominant win. Westbrook ended the night with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to win the MVP award. Paul George had 41 points to lead all scorers, but the East couldn't hang with the high-powered West offense.
The game -- like every All-Star Game -- was loaded with highlight alley-oops and dunks. Here are all the plays you don’t want to miss:
The East kicked off their scoring with a Kyle Lowry-Dwyane Wade-LeBron James alley-oop.
Lowry’s hockey assist didn’t notch an assist on the stat sheet.
The East jumped out to a 25-15 lead, but Westbrook and Kevin Durant kept the West in it with some dunks. And Gregg Popovich was thrilled with the defensive effort.
The highlight reel didn't stop once the starters took a rest. Chris Paul, usually one to make a perfect pass, was a bit off with his pass to Anthony Davis -- but Davis can dunk any alley-oop.
Davis was 12 of 13 from the field for 24 points on the night and Paul dished out a casual 16 assists.
As if a James dunk wasn’t impressive enough, the NBA’s new viewing technology makes it look even more ridiculously incredible.
It wasn’t all roses for Bryant. His attempt to pay homage to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a skyhook wasn’t exactly pretty.
And to end the night, they didn't even show Stephen Curry hit one from darn-near half-court.
Curry is gonna Curry, and now we have to wait three days without the NBA.
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