USA - Stoudemire on song as West defeat East

LAS VEGAS (NBA) - Amare Stoudemire slammed home numerous emphatic slams and collected 29 points and nine rebounds as the West overwhelmed the East with a 153-132 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Kobe Bryant, who scored 31 points on 13 of 24 shooting and added six steals as he won MVP honours for the second time, led an onslaught by the Western Conference, who dominated despite missing Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer due to injury.

Stoudemire is averaging 19.9 points and 9.5 rebounds through 52 games this season, while helping the impressive Phoenix Suns to a 39-13 record - second best in the West.

The NBA's leading scorer at 30.7 points per game, Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points on 10 of 15 shooting and Suns forward Shawn Marion added 18 on nine of 15 as the West ended a two-game slide in the series.

The West set records with 69 baskets and 52 assists, while Stoudemire could have broken the all-time record of 155 set by the West in a double-overtime game in Atlanta in 2003 but he missed a three pointer on the buzzer.

Stoudemire, Bryant Anthony and Marion are all in the Team USA squad and could represent their country at the FIBA Americas Championship later this year at the United States attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Some of the more successful players in the league of late, including Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, Turkey's Mehmet Okur of Utah and Germany's Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas all had low-key games.

Wade had six steals to go with his 10 points but turned the ball over five times.

Okur played just 14:43 scored four points with a couple of rebounds and Nowitzki had nine points and five rebounds in just over 16 minutes.

Frenchman Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs was productive in his time on the floor, scoring eight points and dishing out 10 assists in 23:44.

FIBA