Russell Westbrook wins second straight All-Star MVP
It was Kobe Bryant’s night, but Russell Westbrook left with the biggest individual honor, taking home his second straight All-Star Game MVP with 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in the West’s 196-173 win.
That makes Westbrook’s the first to win back-to-back All-Star MVPs since Bob Pettit in 1958 and 1959. Westbrook’s the first ever to win it outright, though, as Pettit shared it with Elgin Baylor in 1959.
In his fifth appearance, but first ever start, Westbrook hit seven 3s and 12-23 of his shots overall. He also did not dap Drake during intros, which was his most baller move of the night.
This MVP was a little different than last season’s, where Westbrook seemed to be gunning for it a bit, scoring 41 points. This one happened a little more organically, with him hitting a lot of 3s, and scoring mostly — mostly — without actively hunting his own shot.
Kevin Durant finished with 23 points, five rebounds and seven assists.