Davis delivers MVP performance at home
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis had an All-Star Game for the record books. And on a night when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant provided a glimpse of the past, Giannis Antetokounmpo showed he’s clearly part of the future and a midcourt lob attempt from James Harden even went in, Davis absolutely stole the show.
He scored 52 points — 10 more than Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star record that had stood for 55 years — and the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference 192-182 on Sunday night.
It was the highest-scoring game in league history.
Davis made 26 shots and took 39, both of those also All-Star records. He even outdid Westbrook, who had 41 points in just 20 minutes — which ordinarily would have been enough to merit him what would have been a third straight MVP award.
Not this time. It was Davis hoisting the trophy, to the delight of his New Orleans fans.
“It was a lot of fun,” Davis said. “My teammates did a great job of looking for me.”
Durant had a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Stephen Curry added 21 points for the West — where a subplot emerged as DeMarcus Cousins played only two minutes, prompting speculation that a trade sending him out of Sacramento might be looming. Reports indicated a deal was agreed to that would keep Cousins in New Orleans as a member of the Pelicans and a new teammate for Davis.
Antetokounmpo had 30 points for the East, with 12 dunks in his night. LeBron James scored 23 points to become the first All-Star to eclipse 300 in a career, Kyrie Irving had 22 points and 14 assists, and Isaiah Thomas scored 20 for the East.
Davis became the story that overshadowed The Story coming into this game, that being the Durant-Westbrook whatever.
And if there is any animus left between Durant and Westbrook, it was hidden. They passed each other the ball and slapped hands in the pregame layup line, and not long after Westbrook checked into the game the former Oklahoma City teammates provided one of the game’s top highlights — a give-and-go, capped by Durant lobbing the ball to set up Westbrook for a dunk.
New Orleans forward smashes All-Star record in West’s high-scoring win