Ray Allen, only on the NBA All-Star roster to replace an injured Caron Butler, proved himself more than worthy of his slot by scoring a game-high 28 points to help the East to a 134-128 victory. Despite Allen's five three-pointers and red-hot fourth quarter, it was LeBron James hoisting the MVP trophy for his 27 points, nine assists and eight boards, reports the Washington Post.
Three West All-Stars—Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Brandon Roy—shared a team-high 18 points, and their team took enough leads to make this year's contest a real battle. Chris Paul had 16 points and a game-high 14 assists, while Kobe Bryant ended up with a rebound—and nothing else—in just under three minutes of play. (More NBA stories.)