PHOENIX, Arizona, Feb 15, 2009 (AFP) - Onetime teammates and sometimes feuding rivals Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal teamed up again Sunday to lead the Western Conference to victory in the National Basketball Association All-Star Game.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Bryant made a storming start and finished with 27 points as the West dominated the Eastern Conference 146-119 in the mid-season showcase.
Phoenix Suns center O'Neal had 17 points and five rebounds as the duo were named co-Most Valuable Players.
Bryant captured his third MVP award at the event, teaming with former Lakers teammate O'Neal and coach Phil Jackson for the first time since June 2004, when they fell to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.
Prior to that Kobe and Shaq led Los Angeles to three titles at the start of the decade, forming one of the most potent duos in NBA history.
The partnership was also marked by feuding, but the pair appeared to have buried the hatchet as they jokingly fought over the MVP trophy before raising it in unison at the end of the game.
Bryant, the reigning NBA MVP, set the tone by scoring 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting in the first quarter, when his shot total fell two shy of the record for the All-Star Game.
The West set the stage for the victory in the opening period, engineering a 26-7 run to end th equarter en route to a 34-27 advantage heading into the second.
Amare Stoudemire scored 19 points and Chris Paul added 14 and 14 assists, while Tony Parker also chipped in 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting with four rebounds and four assists.
Cleveland's LeBron James, a two-time All-Star MVP, scored 20 points for the East, who had a significant size disadvantage and were outrebounded 51-38.
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