NBA All-Star Game: Damian Lillard leads East to scoring record in 211-186 win

INDIANAPOLIS — Damian Lillard led a barrage of points at the 73rd All-Star Game on Sunday, scoring 39 points as the East earned a record-setting 211-186 victory against the West at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Lillard, who also won Saturday night’s 3-point contest, won MVP honors on Sunday, The Athletic reported. The Milwaukee Bucks star had 11 3-pointers on Sunday, giving him 57 for the weekend.

Sunday’s 211 points by the East broke the previous mark of most points scored by one team in a game, 196 by the West in 2016, according to The Associated Press.

The two teams set All-Star records for total points in a game (397), and in a half (193); and for most 3s made (67) and attempted (167), according to The Athletic. The East also set a record for points by one team tied a record with 104 points in the first half, and had a record number of 3-pointers (42), the news outlet reported.

Lillard joined Michael Jordan, who won the dunk contest in 1988, as the only other player in NBA history to win a Saturday night event and then be named an MVP during the same All-Star Weekend, according to ESPN.

Lillard’s effort blunted the effort of the West’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who put up a game-high 50 points in a losing effort, according to the cable sports network.

“It’s an honor. I’ve been here quite a few times, so to have this kind of accomplishment is special,” Lillard told TNT in an on-court interview after receiving the Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy. “Anytime you have this type of experience enough, you want to have this experience -- you want to be All-Star Game MVP.”

Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton, made his first five 3-pointers and the East hit 13 treys during the first quarter, according to The Athletic. He finished with 32 points and six assists.

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown came off the bench to score 36 points, while East team captain Giannis Antetkounmpo contributed 23 points.

LeBron James, playing in his NBA record 20th All-Star Game, scored 8 points in 14 minutes for the West. He did not play during the second half, according to The Athletic.

“It’s just been an absolute honor to be able to grace the floor throughout my career and be out there with the greatest players in the world year in and year out,” James said. “This is very humbling, very blessed, and it’s something I will never forget obviously. It’s part of my journey.”

This season’s All-Star Game returned to the East-West format after six years of two captains picking players in a draft, a la playground style, USA Today reported.

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