West outscores East 196-173 in Kobe's finale

TORONTO (AP) — In the highest-scoring NBA All-Star Game, the West posted a 196-173 victory over the East in Kobe Bryant's final All-Star appearance of his stellar 20-year career. Both teams scored more than any team had ever managed and the 369 points was also a record combined total.

Photo:Vaughn Ridley
Photo:Vaughn Ridley
loading...

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook won the MVP Award for the second straight year. Westbrook had 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Westbrook is the first repeat MVP in an All-Star game since Bob Pettit in 1958-59.

Westbrook led nine West players in double figures. Bryant scored 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting in his final All-Star game. He was taken out to a standing ovation and chants of "Ko-be, Ko-be, Ko-be" with 1:06 left. Players from both teams hugged Bryant as he went to the bench to be hugged by West Coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.

Indiana Pacers forward Paul George led all scorers with 41 points. That's one shy of the NBA All-Star game scoring record set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962. George canned a record nine 3-pointers.

LeBron James finished with 13 points, just enough to move ahead of Bryant for most ever in the All-Star Game. He has 291. Bryant, who is retiring after this season, leaves with 290.

The NBA is off the next three nights, resuming on Thursday.

T25-SCHEDULE

Iowa survives against Gophers...Arizona climbs into Pac-12 tie for lead

UNDATED (AP) —In a week when 18 of the Associated Press Top-25 tasted defeat, fourth-ranked Iowa avoided a second straight defeat by holding off Minnesota 75-71.

Peter Jok scored 27 points to lead the Cyclones. Jarrod Uthoff had 24 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots. Iowa rebounded from Thursday's loss at Indiana to regain sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

Nate Mason scored 14 points to lead Minnesota, which has lost 14 straight games.

In other AP Top-25:

__ Eighth-ranked Michigan State has improved its position in the Big Ten standings with an 88-69 win over Indiana. Denzel Valentine led the way for the Spartans with 30 points and 13 assists. Matt Costello scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.

__ No. 12 Miami eased past Florida State 67-65 for its 20th victory. Sheldon McClellan scored 20 points for the 'Canes.

— North Carolina, the ninth-ranked team in the AP poll, got 19 points from Brice Johnson in an 85-64 win over Pittsburgh. Marcus Paige added 15 points for the Tar Heels, who are 21-4 and 10-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. By losing Pitt dropped to 17-7.

— Gabe York scored 17 points and 17th-ranked Arizona moved into a tie for first place in the Pac-12 by beating No. 23 Southern California, 86-80. Allonzo Trier scored 12 of his 14 in the second half as the Wildcats, who are 21-5 overall and 9-4 in the Pac-12.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Devils improve playoff positioning...Red Wings win a wild one

UNDATED (AP) — Pacific Division leader Los Angeles lost to the Devils in New Jersey 1-0 as Keith Kinkaid turned back 25 shots to record his first NHL shutout. The game's lone goal came off the stick of David Schlemko as the Devils won their third straight game. By winning the Devils leapfrogged the idle New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

In other hockey:

— Pavel Datsyuk scored twice to surpass 900 NHL points, and Henrik Zetterberg and Darren Helm also had two goals apiece to lift the Detroit Red Wings to a wild 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins. Both teams blew two-goal leads before Danny DeKeyser's shot from the point deflected past goalie Jonas Gustavsson with 12:23 remaining in the game. Zetterberg was credited with the goal.

— Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist as part of a three-goal first period in Buffalo's 4-1 win over Colorado. Buffalo also got goals from Jack Eichel, Evander Kane and Marcus Foligno as it snapped a 0-6-4 skid against Colorado. It was the Sabres' first win against the Avalanche since beating them 6-4 on Dec. 4, 2005.

__ Derek Stepan scored twice in the third period to lead the New York Rangers to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers are 5-0-1 in their last six.

— Robby Fabbri and Patrik Berglund scored on breakaways and Brian Elliott stopped 37 shots as the St. Louis Blues held on for a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

NHL-BLACKHAWKS

Hossa on IR

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Marian Hossa on injured reserve. He was hurt when he was hit by Anaheim defenseman Hampus Lindholm on his lower left leg in the second period of Chicago's 3-2 loss Saturday night. The 37-year-old winger, sitting on 496 career goals, had to be helped off the ice and went straight to the locker room.

DAYTONA 500

Pole set for annual race

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chase Elliott will start the Daytona 500 from the pole. The 20-year old is the youngest driver to land the top spot in NASCAR's biggest race. Elliott is the son of Hall of Fame driver and two-time Daytona 500 champion Bill Elliott.

Matt Kenseth was the second fastest qualifier and will join Elliott on the first row.

GOLF-PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

Mickelson loses to 447th-ranked player

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Phil Mickelson missed a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of the final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am that would have sent him to a playoff against Vaughn Taylor, who is ranked No. 447 in the world. A win for Mickelson would have been his first since the 2013 British Open. The win for Taylor is his first in 11 years.

Taylor shot a final round 7-under-65 to finish 17-under, while Mickelson, who birdied the 17th hole, finished 16-under.

CHAMPIONS TOUR-CHUBB CLASSIC

Langer wins

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Bernhard Langer won the Chubb Classic in Naples, Florida, for his 26th PGA Champions Tour title. He shot a final round 1-over-73 to finish 15-under par, three shots in front of Fred Couples.

The 58-year-old German also won the event in 2011 and 2013, was second in 2012 and tied for second in 2014.

TENNIS-MEMPHIS

Same old story in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — There's something about Memphis that agrees with Kei Nishikori of Japan. He won his fourth straight Memphis Open title by beating American teen Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4.

Nishikori joined Jimmy Connors as the only four-time winners of the event. He's the fourth active player to win an event four times, joining Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Ranked No. 7 in the world, Nishikori won his 11th career title.

More From KROC-AM