Wilt’s record goes as Davis leads West to NBA All-Star win

Move over, Wilt. After 55 years, one of your records is no more. Anthony Davis took care of that in the NBA All-Star game.

Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks the ball during the NBA All-Star game

Move over, Wilt. After 55 years, one of your records is no more. Anthony Davis took care of that.

At the defence-free dunkfest that now serves as the NBA’s All-Star Game, Davis scored a record 52 points and led the Western Conference past the Eastern Conference, 192-182 yesterday in New Orleans. He made 26 of 39 shots, scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and became the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2011 to win MVP honours on his home floor.

“It was amazing,” Davis said. “That’s what I wanted to do ... get the MVP for this crowd, for this city. This one definitely means a lot to me.”

Davis was the star of stars in a game where the teams combined for more points than in any other All-Star contest. It came on a night when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant provided a glimpse of the past, Giannis Antetokounmpo had more dunks — 12 — than his name has consonants and LeBron James became the first player to eclipse 300 points in an All-Star career.

Being linked to Wilt Chamberlain, who had 42 points in the 1962 game, only made it more special, Davis said. “The next one I’m going to try to do is 100 points,” Davis said. 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, thanks to his West teammates deferring to their host time and again.

“It shows our guys recognise what the weekend is about,” West coach Steve Kerr said.

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 some speculation that a trade sending him out of Sacramento might be looming. But Kerr said Cousins wanted only a brief appearance because of injury.

Antetokounmpo had 30 points for the East.

AP