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eBron James lived up to his nickname “King James” by leading his team to a 148-145 victory over the Stephen Curry-led Team Stephen in the last 40 seconds of the new format NBA All-Star game at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, the United States, on Sunday evening (Monday morning Jakarta time).

James, who was playing in his 14th NBA All-Star game, was also named the most valuable player (MVP) after scoring a game-high 29 points to go with eight assists and 10 rebounds.

“I think the format was great. I think the fans did a great job of reacting to it in a very positive way. For me to be the captain of the team, Steph being the captain of his team and us doing that, that draft was something that hadn’t been done before,” he said at a post-match conference.

The new format allowed both captains to pick their own players instead of dividing the teams into East and West Conferences.

James suggested he would not turn down the chance to be the captain of next year’s All-Star event in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I’m not against it, that’s for sure. I had a heck of a time doing it in the conference call with Steph. We’re going to try to figure out ways we can continue to get better and better,” he said.

On the other hand, Curry struggled for most of the night, finishing with only 11 points and failing to lift his team to victory in the critical moment of the game, when both teams were tied up at 144 a piece with only one minute and 30 seconds remaining on the clock.

Team Stephen’s DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors sunk a free throw to take the lead 145-144 only for a James layup to take the lead for Team LeBron before teammate Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder sealed the game with a layup with only 10 seconds left.

Despite his match the winning move, Westbrook only gave a brief comment on the decisive play: “It was good. It was a great moment.”

“It was a very competitive game. I think we did it the right way, showcased our talents and our skills and put on a show, so that was fun,” said Curry. “The game itself is always the highlight for me. Also, it’s a crazy, chaotic schedule, so much you can do and experience and whatnot. You get to Sunday, and that’s what it’s all about. We appreciate that environment out on the floor.”

Like James, Curry thought the new format presented an opportunity to increase the competitiveness of the annual All-Star matchup.

“I think the new format really just gave us an opportunity to hit the reset button and take ownership of the game and understand that there’s a way to do it to up the level of competitiveness and intensity a little bit,” he said.

The NBA will donate a total of US$500,000 to charity, with Team LeBron’s nominated organization After-School All-Stars to receive $350,000, while $150,000 will be donated to Team Curry’s nominated organization Brotherhood Crusade.

As Charlotte is set to host next year’s NBA All-Star game, basketball legend and Charlotte Hornets chairman Michael Jordan received the ball from Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

This year’s All-Star game was attended by a bevy of celebrities including legendary actor Jack Nicholson, former California governor and action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger and Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman.
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The Jakarta Post was invited by the NBA to attend the All-Star Weekend.