NEW YORK -- Russell Westbrook played only 11 first-half minutes in the 2015 NBA All-Star game, but that was enough for him to set the all-time record for most points scored in a single half of the league’s midseason exhibition.
Westbrook played with his trademark level of fury, and scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting, with plenty of dunks mixed in for good measure.
The previous record was 24 points, shared by Glen Rice (1997) and Kyrie Irving (2014).
LeBron James opened the game with a flurry, scoring 15 points on nine shots in the first 10 minutes, and it seemed evident that he was gunning for MVP this year with his incredibly aggressive start.
He ended up with 22 by halftime, but the East trailed by as many as 20 at one point, putting his ability to secure the award (while potentially playing for the losing team) in doubt.
But with the West giving back almost all of that margin and now leading just 83-82 at the break, the trophy appears to still be completely up for grabs.
