NBA All-Star game: West 76, East 64 (halftime)
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Kobe Bryant didn’t look his 32 years, energizing the All-Star crowd with his second dunk in the game with about a minute to go in the half. On the next play, Thunder star Kevin Durant scored on a vicious slam to pad the West’s lead.
Bryant leads all scorers with 21 points.
The other Lakers All-Star, Pau Gasol, had his shooting stroke working and hit his first six shots and has 12 points off the bench for the West.
Time heals all wounds, at least at an All-Star Game.
Bill Russell,the Celtics Hall of Famer who almost single-handedly prevented the Lakers from winning a title in the ‘190s, was introduced at center court during a timeout and got a warm round of applause from the fans at Staples Center.
There were occasional outbursts from the crowd, but the noise level was restrained for much of the quarter. One exception was when LeBron James drove the length of the court, past Bryant, and scored a fastbreak layup.
Chris Bosh leads the East scoring with 12 points.
--Barry Stavro
