Kobe shines at All-Star

Kobe Bryant put on a dazzling display in his backyard, scoring 37 points and capturing the MVP honours as the West edged the East 148-143 in the 60th NBA all-star game on Sunday.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant also had 14 rebounds, three steals and three assists, finishing just five points shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s all-star game scoring record of 42 points.

Bryant’s 37 points propelled him past Elgin Baylor and Julius Erving into fourth on the all-time, all-star scoring list with 244 points.

“Being at home I wanted to come out, play hard and put on a good show,” said the 32-year-old Bryant, who also won the MVP in 2009, 2007 and 2002.

Bryant’s fourth MVP performance overshadowed the brilliant all-star debut of Los Angeles Clippers rookie Blake Griffin, who finished with eight points, five rebounds and five assists.

Griffin, who soared over a car on Saturday to win the slam-dunk contest, was the busiest all-star this weekend competing in the rookie game, dunk contest and his first all-star Sunday.

In a game filled with spectacular alley-oops, no-look passes, fade-away jumpers and precision shooting, LeBron James exploded for 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the East.

The contest, in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,163 at Staples Center Arena, was surprisingly competitive for a game with only bragging rights at stake.