KOBE GOES OUT WINNER IN LAST ALL- STARGAME
West sets mark for points in game in Kobe’s finale
TORONTO — Kobe Bryant exited the All- Star Game for the final time to watch Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry wrap things up with three- pointers.
Bryant said his All- Star Game goodbye, and the next generation of the Western Conference’s best sent him off a winner, rolling to a record- setting 196- 173 victory Sunday against the Eastern Conference at the Air Canada Centre.
‘‘ It was fun,’’ Bryant, 37, said. ‘‘ I had a blast playing with those guys, laughing and joking with them on the bench.’’
The NBA’s first All- Star Game outside the United States was the highest- scoring in history. Bryant didn’t provide much of the offense, but he was responsible for many of the memories.
‘‘ To see him now, it’s like the passing of a generation,’’ West coach Gregg Popovich said. ‘‘ He’s been such an iconic figure for so long, and he passes it on to that other group of young guys that you saw out there tonight.’’
Bryant finished with 10 points, so few that he lost his all- time record in All- Star scoring to LeBron James. But Westbrook scored 31 points en route to earning his second consecutive All- Star MVP award, and Curry added 26 — the final three on a 42- footer. Anthony Davis had 24 points on 12- for- 13 shooting, and Kevin Durant chipped in 23.
Paul George finished with 41 points for the East, tying Westbrook’s total from last season that was one off Wilt Chamberlain’s record. John Wall added 22 points.
James finished with 13 points, just enough to move ahead of Bry--
ant for the most points in All- Star Game history. James has 291 and Bryant, who is retiring after this season, 290.
Bryant handed out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds, but he shot 4- for- 11 in a game that featured almost no defense. The 369 combined points were 48 more than the previous record set last season, and both sides blew away the previous individual team record of 163.
But people just wanted to see Bryant play.
‘‘ We all at one point in our life wanted to be Kobe in our driveways somewhere,’’ East guard Dwyane Wade said. ‘‘ We watched him growing up, and we wanted to pay respect to him.’’
The pregame was a celebration first of Canada, then of Bryant. A video message from Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian who invented basketball in the early 1890s, was followed by player introductions by two- time NBA most valuable player Steve Nash and Grammy winner Drake. Nelly Furtado then sang the Canadian national anthem.
Then it was time for two video tributes for Bryant, whose 18 All- Star selections are second only to Kareem Abdul- Jabbar’s 19. Bryant thanked his millions of fans as the other All- Stars lined up in the background to salute him.
‘‘ I know it’s been overwhelming for him over this year, but our fans across the world and here in the States and here in Toronto [ have] just been paying so much respect,’’ James said. ‘‘ It’s all welldeserved.’’
Bryant has trouble keeping up with the youngsters these days, especially the real young ones. Chris Paul’s son stole the ball from him as Bryant warmed up for the second half.
But he was the star without playing a starring a role. He had said he didn’t want players forcing the ball to him in an effort to make him the MVP, but he was never far from the center of attention.