Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook took home his second straight All-Star Game MVP after putting up a team-high 31 points in the West's 196-173 win Sunday night.
He added eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals - all in 22 minutes of action. Westbrook put up 41 points in last year's competition.
31 Pts, 8 Reb, 5 Ast & 1 MVP. pic.twitter.com/qn6kYYCWnV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 15, 2016
The Thunder's eclectic guard rarely passed up opportunities to shoot on Sunday, and displayed a particular affinity for the 3-point shot. He tried 17 threes, and at one point connected on a trio of long-range bombs in the span of just 90 seconds.
As Westbrook is wont to do, he also punished the hoop with a few vicious slams - most memorably, a rim-rattling two-hander to end the first half.
Westbrook's effort was just enough to squeak past Indiana Pacers forward Paul George's performance as George fell one point shy of tying Wilt Chamberlain's 54-year-old record for most points in an All-Star Game.
George had 41 points, including nine threes (that did set a record; Carmelo Anthony scored eight triples in 2014), but some last-minute lockdown defensive directives from West coach Gregg Popovich prevented George from reaching or exceeding Chamberlain's mark.
Westbrook received six of a possible nine MVP votes from select media members. George and Kobe Bryant both had two apiece, while Stephen Curry and Chris Paul both had one. Bryant also received two out of three votes from fans, while Curry received another.
