Damian Lillard stars as East hang 211 points to topple West in NBA All-Star Game

INDIANAPOLIS – Damian Lillard wanted to do something special in his eighth National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game.

His pull-up three-pointer from half court delivered a dazzling highlight. A post-game announcement in which he was named NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player for the first time provided a perfect finish.

Lillard scored 39 points and drained 11 threes to lead the Eastern Conference to a record-setting 211-186 win over the Western Conference on Feb 18 in Indianapolis.

“It’s an honour,” said Lillard, who is in his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks. “I’ve been here quite a few times, so to have this kind of accomplishment is special.

“Any time you have this type of experience enough, you want to have this (specific) experience – you want to be All-Star Game MVP.”

The Eastern Conference shattered the record for most points by a team in an All-Star Game.

The previous mark was 196 points, which the late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant and the Western Conference notched during the 2016 All-Star Game.

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown added 36 points on 15-for-23 shooting in the East’s win. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton finished with 32 points on 11-for-15 shooting to delight fans who watched him play on his home court.

“I was just going to keep shooting until I missed,” Haliburton said. “(I was) just having fun, playing basketball. I didn’t know how many minutes I was going to play, didn’t know how my leg would feel, but I felt good...

“It wasn’t high intensity at all, but it feels good that I felt good, and hopefully I can continue that moving forward.”

Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves led the West with 50 points on 23-for-35 shooting. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 31 points on 12-for-16 shooting, including seven for 10 from long distance.

Towns said Anthony Edwards, his Timberwolves teammate and a fellow All-Star, kept encouraging him to score more.

“He was breaking down the points to me on the bench,” Towns said. “I knew it was something special because even (Stephen Curry) got up and was like, ‘Get 50. Get 50.’”

The contest was dominated by threes and dunks, as neither side devoted much energy or attention to defence.

The East shot 56.8 per cent (83-for-146) from the field and 43.3 per cent (42-for-97) from three-point range. The West shot 55.9 per cent (80-for-143) overall and 35.2 per cent (25-for-71) from beyond the arc.

LeBron James made history by playing in his 20th All-Star Game. The 39-year-old surpassed fellow Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who earned 19 selections.

That milestone did not equate to a memorable performance for James. He finished with just eight points on four-for-10 shooting and missed all three of his three-point attempts.

Following a head-turning report that the Golden State Warriors looked into acquiring him at the trade deadline, James said he hopes to finish his career with the Lakers.

“I am a Laker and I’m happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way,” he said.

“But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully (it) is with the Lakers. It’s a great organisation, so many greats. But we’ll see.”

The East led 104-89 at half-time. Lillard had 22 points, including six threes, to help them grab a 15-point lead.

Lillard maintained his hot hand in the second half. He drained a spot-up shot from mid-court during the third quarter to make it 132-105.

After the shot swished through the basket, Lillard extended his arms into a full wingspan.

The East scored at least 50 points in all four quarters.

The West scored 47 points in the first quarter, 42 in the second, 47 in the third and 50 in the fourth.
REUTERS