Chris Paul Wins All-Star Game MVP Award As West Top East 143-138 (VIDEO/PHOTO)

MVCP3

It's CP3's world and his teammates are just dunking in it.

Chris Paul was named MVP of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game after leading the West to a 143-138 win over the East in Houston on Sunday night. The Clippers' point guard scored 20 points and handed out 15 assists in a masterful performance. Paul joins Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas as the only players in All-Star history to notch such a 20/15 performance, according to TNT. Paul also contributed

Kevin Durant scored 19 points in the first half and seemed a frontrunner for MVP honors in the case of a West win but Paul took over the game down the stretch, dissecting the East defense to set up his teammates and create his own shot. The 27-year-old, six-time All-Star scored or was credited with an assist on 15 of the final 24 points scored by the West as it held off the East.

Durant finished with 30 points and enough highlights dunks to hear plenty of Dunk Contest pressure in 2014. Carmelo Anthony paced the East with 26 points and 12 rebounds.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

LeBron James

PHOTOS: 2013 NBA All-Star Game

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HOUSTON -- Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Kobe Bryant turned this West victory into an L.A. story.

Paul had 20 points, 15 assists and won MVP honors, Bryant blocked LeBron James' comeback attempt, and the Western Conference beat the East 143-138 on Sunday night.

Kevin Durant scored 30 points and Griffin finished with 19, joining his Clippers teammate, Paul, in creating Lob City deep in the heart of Texas.

James scored 19 points but shot only 7 of 18 after having no shooting troubles during the latter part of the season's first half. Carmelo Anthony led the East with 26 points and 12 rebounds.

The first dunk of the game came 16 seconds in, Paul throwing a pass to Griffin as part of the West's 7-0 start. The West led after each of the first three quarters, though was never ahead by more than eight points through three periods.

They finally pushed it into double figures early in the fourth fueled by former Oklahoma City teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but couldn't put it away until a late run behind the guys from the city of Los Angeles – who along with Lakers center Dwight Howard gave Los Angeles all but one of the West's starting spots.

Paul hit two 3-pointers, Bryant made a layup, and his block of James led to Durant's dunk that made it 136-126. Griffin had one last forceful dunk to help close it out, throwing a pass to himself off the backboard and climbing high in his neon green sneakers to slam it home and make it 142-134.

Harden had 15 points in his home arena, where the sights of the game were on the floor and the sounds were at the rim – which shook repeatedly after thunderous dunks for most of the game before, as usual, players tried to make some stops down the stretch.

Players' sneakers were a variety of pastels and fluorescent colors that looked like they came right from Easter Sunday church, many clashing so badly with their multi-colored socks that they may as well have been created by spilling out random paint buckets.

James and Dwyane Wade wore purple, and Griffin's neon look was also sported by the usually-not-so-loud Tim Duncan and Brook Lopez.

But the NBA's high-flyers sure could leap in them.

Durant slammed one down so hard at one point that he stumbled backward after landing, appearing woozy. He came in as the career leader in points per game with 28.3 and may have won a second straight MVP award if not for Paul's big finish.

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