NBA ALL-STAR GAME

The NBA All-Star Game might be a lot of things, but it is not pointless.

Sunday’s meeting of East and West produced the highest-scoring game in 64 editions of the best vs. the best, with the West prevailing 163-158 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Yes, 321 points and not a single overtime.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook was named the MVP. He scored 41 points, one shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s record set in 1962. His 27 points in the first half were, however, a record.

Other scoring notes: The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James scored 30 points for the East, and the Atlanta Hawks’ Kyle Korver hit seven 3-pointers for all of his 21 points. The game was tied 122-122 after three quarters.

Enjoy the highlights, because the NBA does not get back into action until Thursday night with a pair of games, followed by 13 on Friday night.

NASCAR

Jeff Gordon is retiring from full-time racing after this season, but the four-time Sprint Cup champion wants to go out on top. He won the pole for the Daytona 500 on Sunday and was the first driver to do so with a speed exceeding 200 miles per hour since 1987.

He has won the Daytona 500, which is scheduled for Sunday, three times. The race was marred by a five-car crash in its early going and there was much unhappiness among the drivers about the format used in the qualifying round.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Top-ranked Kentucky is 25-0 after beating South Carolina 77-43 on Saturday. The Wildcats tied the school record for best start to a season. … No.. 5 Wisconsin beat Illinois 68-49 on Sunday and the Badgers’ 25-2 mark is also their best start in school history. Frank Kaminsky scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .