Curry Masterclass powers Team LeBron to NBA All-Star Game Glory

Somebody forgot to tell Stephen Curry that the three-point contest was Saturday as the Golden State Warriors superstar put on a shooting clinic to lead Team LeBron to victory in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

LeBron James sank the game-winning basket as his side edged Team Durant 163-160, giving James his fifth straight all-star win as team captain.

But Curry was the brightest shooting star, winning the MVP award with a 50-point performance that included a record 16 threes in front of a crowd of 19,400 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

He finished just two shy of Anthony Davis' single-game scoring record of 52 points but shattered Paul George's previous record of nine threes in 2016.

"I tried, I tried," said Curry of flirting with the single-game scoring record, held by Los Angeles Lakers' Davis who scored 52 points in 2017.

"When I get going the energy picks up. It is pretty special being back in Ohio.

"Obviously this trophy has very special meaning. I am very humbled, very blessed and I appreciate it."

The All-Star Game was preceded by the three-point shooting contest on Saturday, a competition Curry won in 2021 in Chicago. Karl-Anthony Towns won this year's contest, which Curry did not enter.

Curry was booed during the introductions because of the three titles he won over the Cleveland Cavaliers with the Warriors.

Ohio-born local hero James nailed the winning shot with a fadeaway jumper to elevate Team LeBron to the target score of 163.

"I could not have dreamed of that moment, any better than the actuality that just happened," James said.

The 37-year-old was playing in his 18th all-star game, which ties him with the late Kobe Bryant and moves him to one shy of the record held by Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

J