Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Stephen Curry made a record 16 3-pointers to lead Team LeBron to a 163-160 win over Team Durant in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland.
The Golden State Warriors guard totaled 50 points in the victory Sunday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. He made 17 of 30 shots overall and attempted 27 shots from 3-point range. LeBron James ended the game with a walk-off, turn-around, fade away jump shot.
"I got hot early, kept it going and tried to put on a little bit of a show," Curry told reporters.
Curry received the Kobe Bryant Trophy, the game's MVP Award, for his record-setting performance. Team Durant outscored Team LeBron 84-68 in the paint, 87-39 off the bench and 23-19 off turnovers. Team LeBron outscored Team Durant 33-30 off fast breaks and 25-21 in the fourth quarter.
"Steph, c'mon man," James said. "This guy is from a different planet. He literally has an automatic sniper connected to his arm. When he lets it go, you think it's going in every time."
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid totaled 36 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Team Durant. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and totaled 12 rebounds and three assists for Team LeBron.
James scored 24 points with eight assists and six rebounds in the win.
Team LeBron opened the game with a 5-0 run and carried a 47-45 lead into the second quarter. James scored nine points over the first 12 minutes.
Curry got hot in the second quarter, with six made 3-pointers to power Team LeBron, but Team Durant held a 94-93 lead at halftime. Curry poured in another seven 3-pointers in the third, but Team Durant led 139-138 at the end of the quarter.
The NBA's scoring format for the game requires the winning team to score 24 points more than the point total of the leading team through three quarters in an untimed fourth quarter, a nod to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. That meant the first team to 163 points would win the game.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Curry each opened the final frame with 3-pointers to push the Team LeBron lead to 144-139. Team Durant responded to take a lead later in the quarter, but Team LeBron pushed its lead to 161-155 on a shot for the Chicago Bulls' DeMar DeRozan at the end of the frame.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine hit a 3-pointer for Team Durant to cut the lead to one point on the next possession. James then ended the game with a clutch, fade-away jump shot.
DeRozan started that sequence with a pass down low for the Los Angeles Lakers star. James caught the ball and had his back to LaVine. He backed down the Bulls guard before he turned and jumped back toward the 3-point line in the right corner. James then launched a high shot, which fell through the net for the game-winning points.
The NBA regular season schedule resumes Thursday.
