NBA All-Star Game 2019: 7 crazy stats from Team LeBron’s win over Team Giannis

James’ squad trailed Team Giannis by 13 at halftime but tallied a 50-point third quarter and pulled away for the 178-164 victory.

Stephen Curry of Team Giannis passes around Team LeBron's Klay Thompson in the fourth quarter of the NBA All-Star game in Charlotte on Sunday.

The 68th  NBA  All-Star Game at the Spectrum Center on Sunday retained all the showmanship associated with an exhibition match.

Flashy plays came on both ends of the court. The best of the lot was a jaw-dropping off-the-floor pass from  Stephen Curry,  who bounced the ball nearly over the shot clock before it came down to find  Giannis Antetokounmpo  for the dunk. Curry showed his athletic prowess as well, finishing the game with a smooth reverse dunk off the bounce. Dirk Nowitzki  and  Dwyane Wade,  both special additions to the roster, turned back the clock. Wade reminded fans of the deadly chemistry he once had with  LeBron James  during their time together at  Miami Heat,  when he threw a perfect off-the-backboard alley-oop to James in the third quarter. Nowitzki, who like Wade is in the final stretch of his career, sunk back-to-back three-pointers to prove that he has lost none of his shooter's touch.

LeBron James

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis led the scoring charts with 38 points, to go with 11 rebounds and five assists. But it was not enough to prevent Team LeBron from recording a 178-164 win over Team Giannis. Kevin Durant  won the All-Star MVP award, for his 31 points. The game also broke away from the usual festive spirit, when Durant was challenged by Joel Embiid. The two players exchanged verbal barbs right through the outing, which brought out a fierce competitive spirit that is usually reserved only for regular season and playoff fixtures. The writer is in Charlotte on invitation from NBA

15 —  LeBron James started his 15th straight All-Star Game on Sunday in Charlotte. That’s the most consecutive starts in the game’s history. 28 —  Team Giannis scored 53 first-quarter points. Bucks teammates Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined for 28 of those. 30 —   Mavericks veteran Dirk Nowitzki, who was named to the roster as a special addition, hit two deep 3-pointers in the first quarter. It’s the first time he has ever knocked down two jumpers from 30-feet away or more in the same game. 362 —  James now has 362 career All-Star Game points, which is the most ever. 16 —  There were 16 players who reached double-figure scoring totals. Five players scored at least 20 points. 167 —  The teams combined to jack up 168 3-pointers in the matchup. They connected on 62 of those attempts. Both of those numbers are All-Star Game records. 2 —  James has now led a team to a win in the last two All-Star Games. Team LeBron defeated Team Stephen 148-145 in 2018. OptaLarry contributed to this report