Houston, TX

Chris Paul scored nine of his 20 points in the final period to carry the Western Conference to a 143-138 victory over the East in the 62nd NBA All-Star game at Toyota Center.

From a close 127-124 lead, Paul hit a layup to put the West ahead by five with 4:13 left in the final period.

Paul added a three-pointer after Carmelo Anthony's jumper for a 132-126 advantage before Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant scored hit back-to-back jumpers to give the West a136-126 lead.

Anthony responded with two foul shots but Paul buried a three-pointer for a 139-128 lead with 1:57 left to play.

The East threatened to within 139-134 after back-to-back three-pointers by Paul George but Blake Griffin answered with a foul shot and an emphatic dunk to put the West ahead by eight.

Bryant then blocked LeBron James' jumper with 40 seconds left to thwart any late comeback attempt by the East. Paul then sealed the West's victory with a split from the foul line.

Paul, who won MVP honors, also issued 15 assists while Durant scored 30 points for the West, which won the All-Star Game for the third straight year. The East still leads the matchup, 36-26.

Blake Griffin added 19 while James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker scored 15, 14 and 13 off the bench, respectively for the West.

All the players fielded by West coach Gregg Popovich scored, except for LaMarcus Aldridge, who missed two attempts but had four rebounds and two blocks.

Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points and grabbed 12 boards, Dwyane Wade added 21 and James added 19 but shot just 7-for-18 from the field for the East.

George added 17 points, Kyrie Irving had 16 and Luol Deng scored 10 off the bench for the East.

Joakim Noah also played effectively off the bench for the East, scoring eight points and grabbing 10 boards while fellow center Tyson Chandler had eight caroms.

 

Paul and Durant Carry West to Close Win Over East

 

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