After the West humiliated the East 153-132 at last year's All-Star Game is Las Vegas, in which Kobe Bryant was named MVP, the Eastern All-Stars vowed that this year's game would be anything but a blowout.

The East defeated the West 134-128, powered by Ray Allen's 28 points and LeBron James' 27 points, including a crowd-pleasing facial on Dirk Nowitzki late in the fourth quarter. 

The West rallied back from a 13-point deficit to tie the game with about five minutes remaining, only to have Ray Allen knock down three straight three-pointers. 

Chris Paul, who fueled the comeback, had 16 points, 14 assists, and a handful of flashy passes in his first All-Star Game appearance. Brandon Roy, who was attending his first All-Star Game as well, had 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire both had 18 points, while Carlos Boozer and Dirk Nowitzki chipped in 14 and 13. 

The West missed the presence of Kobe Bryant, who only played three minutes because of a torn ligament in his right pinky. "There's one player we really, really missed, and that was Kobe," West coach Byron Scott of New Orleans said. "Obviously, Kobe would have loved to play."

For the East, LeBron James had 27 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, earning MVP honors. Ray Allen had 28 points on 10-14 shooting, while Dwight Howard had 16. Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade both had 14. LeBron James concluded the All-Star festivities by thanking the city of New Orleans and its fans, while talking about the positivity that the All-Star Game had on the people. 

"Well, I hope not just me, but every All-Star from the East and West was able to put smiles on kids' and on families' faces," James said. "I think we all know what happened, the devastation down here and to bring the NBA All-Star Game here, I think it really uplifted the families down here. We had a great time."

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