Russell Westbrook wins All-Star MVP, putting on a show

Russell Westbrook, you the real MVP. Of the 2015 All-Star Game.

Westbrook dropped 41 points on 16-28 shooting in just 26 minutes, coming up a point shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star scoring record set in 1962. (He played 37 minutes that night.)

Westbrook did get one record, though, setting a new mark for points in a half with 27 in the first half. He did it in just an incredible 11 minutes, scoring 23 in a seven-minute span. It was mostly on dunks and layups, but Westbrook got hot from deep — and deeper — knocking down a trio of 3s in the second quarter.

With his sore foot a concern, Kevin Durant played only 10 minutes, scoring three points on 1-6 shooting. Durant is the all-time scoring average leader in All-Star history, entering tonight’s game at 30.6 points per game. With just three tonight, his average dropped to 26.0, which is still good for No. 1 all time. (LeBron is second at 25.2.)

Even though he was clearly on the prowl for the scoring record, Westbrook made it a point in the third quarter to find Durant, trying to get his teammate on the board. Durant paid off a 3 — Westbrook’s only assist. And then Westbrook was back on to his own.

His 28 attempts were a game-high, with LeBron taking the second-most with 21. Westbrook took 12 more than any other Western teammate. Did he hog? Yeah, he forced up a few, but if you’re going to score 41 in an All-Star Game, you’re going to have to put up looks because you aren’t going it at the free throw line. And besides, of Westbrook’s 16 buckets, 11 came on dunks or layups.

As you’d expect, Westbrook didn’t just put on a scoring show, he also put on a show. Multiple soaring dunks, and one alley-oop from Chris Paul that probably made you stand up from your couch. Some of Westbrook’s highlights:

Oh yeah, the West won 163-158.