NEW ORLEANS – After being dethroned as Sprite Three-Point Shooting Champion, Kyrie Irving, added another piece of hardware to his growing collection.
Thanks to 31 points—24 in the second half—and 14 assists on 14-of-17 shooting, the Cleveland Cavaliers third-year point guard out of Duke—and 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year—helped lead the East to a 163-155 win over the West.
In the NBA All-Star Game’s highest-scoring game in history (318) Irving out-shined rival guards Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and John Wall thanks to a dazzling display of nifty reverse lay-ups, three-point shooting and crafty assists and Carmelo Anthony’s All-Star game record eight 3-pointers, the East stopped it’s losing streak against the West and held off the West’s Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin who both finished with 38 points.
Irving would help spark the East from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter in a game that would see :
- Most points (318)
- Most points by one team (163)
- Most combined field goals (135)
- Most combined 3-pointers (30)
- Most combined 3-point attempts (100) — ESPN Stats & Information
In winning his first All-Star MVP award, Irving joins LeBron James as the other Cavalier to win it.