Durant stars in Western Conference's hat-trick

HOUSTON: Western Conference continued to dominate in the NBA All-Star event, winning Sunday's game 143-138, to make it a hat-trick of titles at the Toyota Centre.
Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant was once again the main man for them, scoring 30 points.
However, Durant's thunder was stolen by Chris Paul of Los Angeles Clippers, who scored 20 points, but assisted in 15.In fact, quite a few of Paul's assists helped Durant score. Playing in the guard position, this was Paul's sixth All-Star game, and he proved quite a handful.
West dominated right from the beginning, running away with a 7-0 lead before East found their feet. Lakers' legend Kobe Bryant started off quite well, giving West the initial spurt. In his 15th straight All-Star game, Bryant might not have been at his best, but packed in enough firepower to trouble East.
For East, Miami Heat's LeBron James fired a few three-pointers to narrow the gap. East in fact, forged ahead a few times, but could never hold on to their lead. Young Kyrie Irving did a good job for them, as did Joakim Noah of Chicago Bulls.
West would also have 'local boy' James Harden to thank. The Houston Rockets guard had a slow start, but came to the party with some great dodges and shots. Blake Griffin was another one who gave West quite a few points. The Clippers player dunked a number of points to ensure that West always had their nose ahead.
With the likes of Usain Bolt and Chris Tucker sitting on the sidelines, there was enough glamour quotient to make the game an exciting affair. Alicia Keys entertained at the half time to make this basketball carnival a hit with the fans.
With the world's best basketball players on display, it was always going to be a high quality match. However, with this being just an exhibition game, the competitive edge was perhaps lacking.