Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as the West came away with a 153-132 win, snapping a two-game losing streak to the East in the NBA All-Star Game.

Bryant stepped up and imposed his will on his fellow all-stars winning the MVP for the second time and chipping in six assists and five rebounds as the West fell just two points shy of the All-Star Game points record.

The West showed on Sunday why it is considered the more dominant conference, posting one of the most lopsided wins in All-Star history.

The midseason showcase featured enough showboating, behind the back passes, alley-oop lobs and windmill dunks to entertain the crowd of 15,694 at the Thomas and Mack Centre arena.

The winners picked up $35,000 while the losers collected $20,000. 
 
(CRI via AFP February 19, 2007)