All-Star

Wheat Hotchkiss

The NBA All-Star Game is never short on storylines and this year's contest was no exception.

All eyes were on Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, as he took part in his 18th and final All-Star Game on Sunday night in Toronto. There was also plenty of attention on the three All-Stars from the defending champion Golden State Warriors — on pace to put together the best regular season in league history — and the two All-Stars from the hometown Raptors.

But Pacers forward Paul George's star shone brighter than anyone's on Sunday night at the Air Canada Centre. The Pacers' star led all scorers with 41 points — over twice as many as any Pacers player has ever scored in a single All-Star Game and one shy from breaking a 54-year-old record — and set a new league record for 3-pointers made in the mid-season showcase.

It wasn't quite enough to lead the East to victory, as the West pulled away in the second half for a 196-173 win, but George's performance had everyone buzzing.

"I think to start out everyone wants a chance to win MVP in the All-Star Game," George said. "That was definitely a goal. So much special stuff wrapped around this one.

"It would have been a special moment to win it. But really, it was really just about coming here and enjoying everyone's -- just enjoying being with these guys, man, and having a good showing."

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No one got off to a hotter start on Sunday night. Playing in his third All-Star Game, the six-year NBA veteran swished his first shot of the night, a 3-pointer. Moments later, he caught an alley-oop from Dwyane Wade.

That seemed to put PG in a rhythm reminiscent of some of his early-season performances. George knocked down three of his next four shots from beyond the arc, helping the home East squad build an early lead.

Thanks to his hot hand, George logged the longest shift of any All-Star starter in the first quarter, playing 7:58 and accumulating 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, going 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

George checked back into the game with 3:36 remaining in the second quarter. He added a one-handed dunk to his tally in the final minute, finishing the half with 16 points and three rebounds.

In the third quarter, George set a franchise All-Star Game record and matched an NBA mark. After an early alley-oop from LeBron James got him to 18 points, George buried his fifth triple of the night with 10:29 left in the period to give him 21 points, breaking his own record for most points by a Pacers player in an NBA All-Star Game (18 in 2014 in New Orleans).

PHOTO GALLERY: Paul George at 2016 All-Star Weekend »

PG continued to show off his shooting stroke over the next few minutes. He hit two more threes and a floater before knocking down his eighth triple of the night with 3:33 left in the quarter, matching the NBA record for threes in an All-Star Game (Carmelo Anthony previously pulled off the feat in 2014).

East head coach Tyronn Lue said that Anthony made George aware that he was within striking distance of his record and the two stars were joking about it as George drew nearer and eventually surpassed Anthony's mark.

"PG and John Wall, they were serious," Lue said. "They weren't messing around tonight. They took the game more serious than everybody else did (on the East team), and you could see the outcome with Paul."

George added nine points to his tally in the fourth quarter, pulling within one point of Wilt Chamberlain's 1962 record for most points in a single All-Star Game. He missed a step-back jumper over Draymond Green in the right corner in the final minute and couldn't get another clean look, as the West locked down on him defensively.

He finished the night one point shy of the record, matching Russell Westbrook's 41-point performance in last year's game. George made 16-of-26 shots on the night, going 9-for-19 from 3-point range.

George's big night was perhaps the biggest milestone since his return from breaking his right leg in August 2014, an injury that caused him to miss all but the final six games of last season.

"It's really special," George said of the game. "You know, I had a hard-fought summer, hard-fought rehab year. It was just a very upward climb. It took every day and really every moment of rehab to get through it."

George's performance drew plenty of praise from his fellow competitors.

"I'm actually amazed looking at him," San Antonio Spurs and West team head coach Gregg Popovich said. "Every time he runs up and down the floor and jumps up for those dunks and everything, I'm thinking, wow, the human body must be amazing, it really must be amazing.

"To come back and play at that level athletically, it just stuns me every time I see him out there...It's great that he's back."

Westbrook took home MVP honors for the second straight year, leading the West with 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals.

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Paul George Explodes for 41 Points in All-Star Game

Pacers forward Paul George is back at the All-Star Game, and he's had a busy day so far on Friday in Toronto.

In the morning, PG posed for portraits with the NBA photographers, then did a slew of TV and radio interviews. After that, it was off to general media availability, where he fielded questions about his recovery from injury and his thoughts on Kobe Bryant as the Lakers legend prepares for his final All-Star Game.

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George and the rest of the Eastern Conference All-Stars then headed to the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service, where they helped over 1,000 volunteers sort and repack 110,000 pounds of food donations to benefit more than 30,000 Canadians in need. The project, in partnership with Daily Bread Food Bank, took place with the support of SAP and State Farm.

Later in the afternoon, George made an appearance at the Samsung Court at the Enercare Centre, part of NBA Centre Court, where he met with fans.

Then in the evening, George jumped to the other side of the microphone as a guest reporter for ESPN's telecast of the Celebrity Game.

Former Indiana Fever All-Star Tammy Sutton-Brown helped Team Canada to a victory in the game, while Fever forward Natalie Achonwa joined Drake, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, 2016 All-Star DeMar DeRozan and Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista on Team Canada's "coaching staff."

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Tomorrow, George and East All-Stars will have a practice and another media session. Then later in the afternoon, Pacers rookie Rakeem Christmas will take the floor for the D-League All-Star Game. Walter Lemon, Jr. will also represent the Fort Wayne Mad Ants — the Pacers' D-League affiliate — by taking part in the D-League Slame Dunk Contest.

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Busy All-Star Friday for Paul George

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When the fourth quarter of the 2016 All-Star game begins, fans of PG and the Pacers will have a chance to push George to winning the Kia NBA All-Star MVP Award by tweeting a custom emoji.

When Twitter users type in #PaulGeorge to a tweet, a custom emoji for George will reveal itself. The emoji can be used at anytime during All-Star weekend, but will only help PG towards winning the All-Star Game MVP Award during a 30-minute window that begins during the fourth quarter of the All-Star Game. Additionally, the hashtag #KiaAllStarMVP must be in the tweet for it to count as a vote.

However, George isn't the only Pacers player represented by an emoji. Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who is a member of NBA on TNT, has his own custom emoji as well.

Every 2015-16 All-Star has their own custom emoji, and they are active until Monday, Feb. 16. Each player's emoji can be activated by typing their full first and last name following a hashtag symbol (#firstnamelastname).

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Paul George Emoji Unveiled

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Paul George's All-Star Season in Photos

Today is a landmark day for the Pacers organization, as Pacers forward Paul George has won the fan vote to start the 2016 All-Star Game on Feb. 14 in Toronto.

It may feel like a mere formality given George's firm foothold on a starting spot in the various voting updates released over the last few weeks, but George's election deserves proper celebration.

Think about where he was just a year ago.

Watching games in suits. Shooting lots of jumpers. Breaking the internet with uncontested dunks that were an important measuring stick in his recovery, but a far cry from his past heights.

Now look at him, back and better than ever.

PHOTO GALLERIES: PG's All-Star Season »   PG's Past All-Star Experiences »

George's comeback is one of the best stories in the NBA this year. But make no mistake, his All-Star election wasn't some sort of sympathy vote. Paul George absolutely earned a starting spot in Toronto.

The 25-year-old forward has quite simply been one of the best players in the Eastern Conference.

He won the conference Player of the Month award for games played in October and November. He's averaging more points per game than any player in the East not named LeBron James.

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George was a no-brainer choice to start the All-Star Game. But yet, there seems to be a sentiment out there that George's season has been in some ways disappointing, a notion that is – in no uncertain terms – absolutely and utterly absurd.

Yes, George's statistics have come down to earth after his ethereal start to the season.

He averaged an outrageous 29.5 points per game in November (a higher scoring average than any Pacers player has had over an entire season in NBA history), but has "only" averaged a hair under 22 points per game over the last two months.

After shooting 47.5 percent from the field in November, George's field goal percentage dipped to .371 in December, though he has pushed it back above 40 percent in January.

Meanwhile, George's turnovers have remained consistent, right around four per game over the entire season.

Still, George's statistical drop-off is being mis-categorized as a "slump" instead of evidence of just how other-worldly his play was at the start of the season.

Because of how well he played in November, George has seen more and more double-teams and defensive schemes designed around stopping him. He has also dealt with understandable fatigue going through the rigors of a full NBA schedule after sitting out all but the final six games of last season.

But even though he hasn't maintained a level of play that he should have never been expected to maintain over the course of an 82-game grind, George's numbers remain excellent.

Sorry, "excellent" is an understatement. Let's go with "superb."

George is currently averaging 23.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Individually, each of those stats illustrates an aspect of George's all-around talent. But collectively, those numbers put George in rarified company.

Over the course of NBA history, there have only been seven instances in which a player averaged at least 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals over the course of an entire season.

Julius Erving did it twice. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook each have done it once. That's the whole list.

Paul George is putting together one of the greatest statistical seasons this franchise has ever seen. And lest we forget, he's doing all of this barely a year removed from breaking his leg, undergoing major surgery, and enduring months on end of a grueling rehab process.

If George can do all of this now, just imagine what the future holds for him. After all, he's still only 25.

At 25, George will start an All-Star Game for the second time in his career in a few weeks. You know how many other players in franchise history have been voted to start an All-Star Game?

Reggie Miller, for all of his accolades, was voted in as a starter just once, in the 1994-95 season. Jermaine O'Neal was voted to start the midseason showcase three times (2002-03, 2003-04, and 2005-06).

If he keeps his current pace up, George should more than double O'Neal's mark. He is good enough and young enough to one day surpass Miller and Mel Daniels and all the rest as the greatest Pacers player ever.

So go ahead and celebrate this day and this season, Pacers fans. Paul George is putting together one heckuva year.

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Paul George Absolutely Earned Starting Spot in All-Star Game

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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers forward Paul George was named Thursday night as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Stars. In his sixth season in the NBA, George will start in the NBA All-Star Game, Feb. 14, in Toronto.

Making his third All-Star game appearance, George was voted a starter by fan voting for the second time. He was third in the Eastern Conference with 711,595 votes. A sixth-year player out of Fresno State, George is eighth in the NBA with an average of 23.7 points per game.

HOTCHKISS: George Absolutely Earned Starting Spot »

In 2014, George was voted by the fans as a starter for the Eastern Conference team for the game in New Orleans; and also participated in the Slam Dunk Contest that weekend. In 2013, George was selected by the Eastern Conference coaches as a reserve on the All-Star team for the game in Houston. He also participated in the Three-Point Contest in 2013. Prior to that, George participated in the All-Star weekend festivities in Orlando in the Rising Stars Challenge as well as the Slam Dunk Contest in 2012.

"I want to thank fans worldwide and in particular Pacers' fans for voting me on the All-Star team as a starter,” said George. “It's a great honor that I respectfully share with everyone who helped me and believed in me after the injury. This is also a team honor that I share with my coaches and teammates."

George is the third Pacers player to start the NBA All-Star Game, joining Reggie Miller (1995) and Jermaine O’Neal (2003, 2004 and 2006) as Pacers voted by the fans to start for the Eastern Conference.

George is the 12th Pacers player to be named to the All-Star team (Don Buse, Billy Knight, Reggie Miller, Detlef Schrempf, Rik Smits, Dale Davis, Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert are the others). At 22 years old, George was the youngest Pacers player to ever be named an NBA All-Star when he made the All-Star team in 2013.

All‑Star

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Busy All-Star Friday for Paul George

Paul George Emoji Unveiled

Paul George's All-Star Season in Photos

Paul George Absolutely Earned Starting Spot in All-Star Game

Paul George Named Starter on NBA All-Star Team