Jonas drives and dunks on Nene:

A 20-point first half lead was cut to just 10 by the fourth quarter, but in the end, the Charlotte Bobcats managed to hold off the Orlando Magic and beat them 105-92. Henderson and Walker combined for 48 points in the Charlotte win. The loss for Orlando means that they edge closer to the worst record in the league, currently held by....Charlotte.

The Brooklyn Nets have a lot to thank Joe Johnson for this season. And the latest gratitude is for Johnson forcing the Nets' game with the Milwaukee Bucks to overtime on a three-point shot and then sinking the game winning basket at the end of OT to give them the 113-111 win. Those five points were part of a 24 point, five assist, five rebound performance from the Nets' shooting guard. Brandon Jennings scored 34 points for the Bucks.

Joe Johnson's heroics:

The Memphis Grizzlies trailed the Detroit Pistons by eight after the first period but soon got back on track, seeing off the Pistons 105-91. Mike Conley led all scorers with 19 points in what was Austin Daye and Tayshaun Prince's first game against their former team.

The Chicago Bulls batted away the pesky New Orleans Hornets, 96-87. Luol Deng and Eric Gordon shared a game-high in points, with 20. Joakim Noah scored 15 points and had 17 rebounds.

Eric Gordon makes the defence dizzy on this unconventional play:

Gallinari and Lawson scored 26 points each as the Denver Nuggets overcame a dogged Boston Celtics team, to record their 34th win of the season, 97-90. The win helped the Nuggets break a three game losing skid.

Al Jefferson's 24 points helped propel the Utah Jazz to their third win in a row, as they beat the Golden State Warriors, 115-101. The loss for the Warriors, was their sixth straight, marking their worst run of the season so far.

A mid-season break in the form of the All-Star break, didn't seem to affect the veteran San Antonio Spurs, who last night saw off the Sacramento Kings, 108-102. Tony Parker led all scorers with 30 points in the Spurs' league-best 43rd win of the season.The Kings backcourt of Evans and Thomas combined for 42 points.

Thomas showed the Spurs his crazy handle:

Los Angeles Clippers point guard, Chris Paul, picked up the MVP award for his 20 point, 15 assist game. Kevin Durant led the West in scoring with 30 points while Carmelo Anthony was the leading scorer in the East with 26.

Check out CP3 and Tony Parker taking advantage of Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant getting one-up on Lebron James and Joakim Noah crossing over his defender:

This year's game will mark the 62nd time the East have gone head-to-head with the West for Conference bragging rights, with the East holding a 36-25 advantage so far.

Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony are all due to take part in the NBA's annual exhibition, which is being shown live on ESPN UK and Sky Sports 2HD at 0100am.

If you want to keep up-to-date with everything that's going on in the 2013 NBA All-Star game, visit the Mirror basketball's live-blog from 0030am.

Tweet contributions are welcome, just make sure you use the hashtag: #MirrorASG
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04:31am - Chris Paul awarded 2013 NBA All-Star MVP. 20 points, 15 assists and the W.

04:28am - West win their third straight All-Star game, 143-138.

04:25am - MVP candidates: Carmelo Anthony - 26 points, 12 rebounds; Kevin Durant - 30 points; Chris Paul 20 points and 15 assists. My money is on Chris Paul. Controlled the game and got the West the win.

04:23am - Kobe has played great defence on Lebron in the final quarter. LBJ hits his first point in the 4th with 30 seconds and change to go.

04:21am - Paul George hits a pair of three's to make it only 139-134 West lead. 1:02 to go.

04:20am - Chris Paul must have just sealed MVP with a three over Joakim Noah. He's been incredible all game.

04:15am - Bryant just blocked Lebron James which led to a breakaway dunk and possibly put the game out of reach with the West leading 136-126.

04:13am - Chris Paul is taking over here...

04:05am - Both teams taking this seriously now. Neither side giving up anything easy. And no sign of a three from a big in sight.

04:03am - It's not like Kyrie Irving has shown any ability to hit threes.....oh wait (three point contest winner 24hrs before)

04:02am - East get to within one on a Kyrie Irving three. West lead 119-118.

03:55am - Deng cuts it to 113-109 West lead with a three pointer.

03:51am - Entertainment inbetween third and fourth period is causing Melo, Lebron, KG and Bosh to hide their faces through grimacing and laughing. Let's just say the participants were testing the pain they could feel in a certain 'sensitive' area.

03:47am - The East ended the third period shooting poorly but as we head to the decisive quarter, the lead if 108-104 West lead.

03:45am - This could be a close contest (famous last words) as we edge closer to the final quarter with the scores at 101-98.

03:40am - JOAKIM NOAH JUST CROSSED OVER ZACH RANDOLPH.

03:33am - Is there anyone who doesn't enjoy inflatable mascots dancing?

03:32am - Wade and CP3 taking over on offense for their respective teams. West lead by one, 90-89.

03:26am - The second half starts in much the same way as lessons after lunch start - lethargically.

03:16am - Craig Sager's suit:

03:06am - At the half, Kevin Durant leads all scorers with 19 points. Wade and Griffin have 12 points a piece.

Tony Parker makes Bosh look stupid part 2:

03:00am - Alicia Keys is half-time entertainment. She's had a child and yet still looks in better shape than Rasheed Wallace.

KG to Sager: "You look like a Christmas ornament":

CP3 through Bosh's legs:

02:52am - At the half, West lead East 69-65.

02:51am - Parker becomes the second person tonight to dribble through Bosh's legs.

02:42am - Chirs Paul just dribbled THROUGH Bosh's legs. Bosh looked unconcerned.

02:39am - Kevin Garnett tells Craig Sager to 'not dress like a Christmas ornament' next time he conducts an interview.

02:34am - Boy, that was a nice baseline spin move and throw-down from Kevin Durant to tie the game up at 50.

02:33am - THIS is more like an All-Star game - teams trading buckets with only a passing interest in stopping them.

02:26am - I'm looking for two players to start a shoot-out. Thought Harden and George were going to be the ones but then Harden missed.

02:24am - LOVE that certain guys revert to type - even in a free-for-all like the All Star game. I'm looking at you LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph, Joakim Noah.

02:19am - How is a guy who is known for defence, voted into the All-Star game - an event predominantly all about scoring? Are fans really aware of his contributions and think he should be rewarded?

02:17am - End of the 1st quarter, West lead 31-26. Lebron, Melo and Durant have seven points each.

02:15am - For an All-Star game, there's still a lot of defence being played. Normally it's completely open. 29-24 on a Westbrook 'oop from Harden.

02:09am - Kyrie Irving just got his first highlight - crossed over Westbrook, drove to the basket and banked home a runner. Dear God, he's good.

02:08am - Chris Bosh is taken out of the game after some impotent shooting.

02:06am - Kobe is guarding Lebron. Loosely, admittedly, but Lebron is his man.

02:05am - Craig Sager's suit is what the inside of Robocop looks like.

02:02am - Time-out and a surprising amount of defence is being played. That's not a joke, guys have actually been jumping passing lanes. That and players are very laid back when it comes to passing.

01:59am - Lebron with another alley-oop off a Melo floated pass.

01:57am - That East 'answer back' was courtesy of a Lebron alley-oop off the glass from Wade.

01:56am - CP3 dribbles through the legs and drops it behgind for a Kobe lay-in. East answer right back.

01:54am The East have missed every single one of their shots and trail 0-7.

01:53am - West wins the tip and open scoring.

01:52am - Erik Spoelstra is coaching the East, Popovich for the West.

01:50am - Dwyane Wade to crowd 'PLEASE enjoy the game'. That sounded like he was pleading with them...

01:42am - I bet no other country gets a singer as decorated as John Legend singing their National Anthems. #USA

01:36am - Western All-Star starting line-up: Durant, Griffin, CP3, Kobe, Dwight.

01:33am - Gregg Popovich didn't dance? I'M STUNNED.

01:31am - Phew, there was no awkward dancing like 2012:

01:30am - Eastern All-Star starting line-up: Bosh, Wade, Lebron, KG, Melo.

01:26am - East intros... to dance or not to dance?

01:24am Okay, so I didn't expect to be live blogging about Ne-Yo on Monday morning. Interesting turn of events...

01:23am - While Ne-Yo (who played in the Celebrity All Star game and was terrible) performs before the All-Star game, just a quick reminder that you can watch the All Star Game live either on ESPN UK, Sky Sports or by purchasing it on-demand with International League Pass.

01:20am - It's the 18th February here in the UK but in the States it's still the 17th which means it's still Michael Jordan's 50th birthday. I mention this only because it allows us to look at some MJ highlights:

Oh and wouldn't it be cool if MJ made a cameo in this year's All-Star game?

01:13am - Chances that during intros Lebron and the East squad dance? 100%. Chances that Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan dance on the West squad? 0%.

01:09am - Sneak prediction - Kyrie Irving will get the highlight of the night. He's already proven this season that he's a big time scorer and he's destroyed the ankles of Brandon Knight in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge.

01:04am - The race for the MVP trophy in this game is going to be interesting because Lebron James is playing out of his skin at the moment - averaging 30+ points a game in his last seven contest, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony can get hot in the blink of an eye, Kobe is...well, Kobe and is looking to win his fifth MVP which would put him as the all-time leader for ASG MVP's and CP3 can take over a game and dictate everything that happens within a 3 mile radius of the court.

00:58am - Luol Deng is playing in his second NBA All-Star game.

00:54am - Players who make up the East: Bosh, Wade, James, Chandler, Garnett, Anthony, Deng, George, Holiday, Irving, Lopez and Noah.

Players who make up the West: Durant, Griffin, Paul, Aldridge, Bryant, Duncan, Harden, Howard, Lee, Parker, Randolph and Westbrook.

00:47am - Today's game will see six former NBA All Star game MVP winners take to the floor: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant.

00:44am - The East have beaten the West 36 times out of 61, although the West have won the last two contests.

00:42am - The first ever NBA All-Star game came about as a way to regain lost basketball fan's attention following a college basketball scandal. Taking place in Boston in 1951, the East beat the West 111-94.

00:30am - Good morning and welcome to the Mirror.co.uk's live blog of the 62nd NBA All-Star Game, which is being held in Houston!

Try to forget that in a few hours time your alarm will be ringing and demanding that you leave your comfortable bed to start your week at work and concentrate, instead, on watching a collection of the greatest basketball talent in the world playing in the greatest pick-up game in the world.

This live blog will be running from the tip-off off of the East vs West clash, right up until the final buzzer sounds. We'll be providing facts and stats, as well as online commentary and a collection of random thoughts.

And you too can get involved: Simply add the hashtag #MirrorASG to the end of your tweets and your 140 characters or less could show up during our live blog.

So while the coffee boils, let's look at what we can expect from tonight...

Reigning Skills Challenge Champion, Tony Parker, lost out to rookie, Lillard, in the first round before the Trailblazers star guard went head-to-head with Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ers in the final. In the end, Holiday's struggles from the top of the key hampered him too much and Lillard was able to win the trophy with a time of 29.8 seconds.

In the three-point contest, Kyrie Irving and Matt Bonner contested the final, with the Cleveland Cavaliers' Irving coming up trumps by registering 23 points to see off Bonner's 20. Kevin Love, the 2012 Champion, was unable to defend his crown due to a hand injury.

The 2012 dunk contest winner, Jeremy Evans, and Toronto Raptors' Terrence Ross squared off against each other in Saturday night's final. Evans showed some creativity by dunking over a painting covered by a cloth, later to be revealed as a portrait of Evans dunking over the canvas. Ross followed up by donning the jersey of past Raptors dunk champ, Vince Carter before executing a 360 slam. Ross eventually walked away with the 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk Champion trophy after a fan vote.

Check out the highlights from the Final as well as earlier efforts by Kenneth Faried and James 'Flight' White.

James White:

Hart, who scored only five points but handled point guard duties and kept audio technicians in employment with his constant talking, entertained the crowd with his antics which included racing Usain Bolt from baseline to baseline and back.

Bolt was central to another highlight: A two-hand dunk during the action:

Check out the game highlights here:

And then watch Ricky Rubio's own personal highlights:

And now watch Kyrie Irving embarrass Brandon Knight:

The release is part of Foot Locker UK and Europe's Approved Heat campaign which has been running from February 2nd and continues through to March 2nd, during which time Foot Locker will be releasing 200+ products from big brands like Reebok, Adidas and Nike.

Already on the shelves for consumer purchase are the Nike Jordan 5 retro's, Adidas Adi Howard light's and the Adidas D.Rose 3.5 ASG's.

A selection of the shoes being released today, in addition to the Nike Jordan 1 retro QS ASG, Nike Jordan CP3 ASG's and Nike Jordan Melo M9 ASG, are:

- Nike Barkleyposite max premium ASG

- Reebok Kamikaze II - Colourway OG Black - the first ever re-release of the show associated with Shawn Kemp's best years with the Seattle Supersonics.

- Nike ASG Lebron X - 'All Star game' colourway

If you want to deck your feet out in some brand new shoes in time for the All Star game, visit your local Foot Locker store, or go online at www.footlocker.com.

The NBA's new service will provide fans with interactive access to all the numbers behind the games, with categories including: Advanced shooting charts, Top line-up combinations, In-depth breakdowns of possessions and many more.

So if you ever wondered who had a better True Shooting % - Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony, NBA.com/stats is the site for you.

Sunday 17th February 0100am onwards ESPN UK
It was revealed that Tony Parker will be defending his 2013 Taco Bell Skills Challenge title between February 15th-17th. Trying to wrestle the title away from him will be Jrue Holiday, Brandon Knight, Jeff Teague, Jeremy Lin and Damian Lillard.

Saturday 16th February 0200am, ESPN UK
Lillard will also be competing in the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge game during All-Star weekend and was picked first in the draft by Team SHAQ. The full rosters for the game are:

Team SHAQ:

Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors), Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets), Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats), Tyler Zeller (Cleveland), and Kemba Walker (Charlotte).

Team CHUCK:

Anthony Davis (New Orleans Hornets), Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves), Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic), Brandon Knight (Detroit), Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings), and Alexey Shved (Minnesota Timberwolves).

Saturday 16th February 0030am, ESPN UK
Harden and Westbrook will also be testing out their coaching skills as they take to the sidelines to take charge of their respective sides during the 2013 Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Headlining the participants are last year's MVP, comedian Kevin Hart, singer Ne-Yo and Olympic champion sprinter, Usain Bolt.

Sunday 17th February 0100am onwards ESPN UK
This year's 2013 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest will see Steph Curry, Matt Bonner, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Steve Novak and Ryan Anderson go head-to-head as they look to win the trophy that Kevin Love lifted in 2012.

Competing in this year's Sprite Slam dunk contest will be:

Gerald Green:

Eric Bledsoe:

Terence Ross:

Jeremy Evans:

Kenneth Faried:

and James 'Flight' White:

Yes, that's the same James White who went through his legs on a free throw line dunk (see 4:45 for proof):

The NBA All-Star game can be seen on ESPN UK on Monday 18th February at 0100am.

All-Star weekend just got amazing.

The NBA All-Star weekend can be seen live on ESPN UK on Friday 15th - Sunday 17th February. For full listings of the All-Star weekend, visit here.

The Battle of LA was won easily by the Clippers, who beat the Lakers, 125-101. The Clippers started quickly, running out to a 15-0 lead. And it was an advantage they maintained as they beat the Lakers for the third straight time this season. Chris Paul had 24 points and 13 assists in the win.

DeAndre Jordan bricks his free-throw..badly:

Kawhi Leonard's big shot to win the game:

The Indiana Pacers won every quarter of their game against the Charlotte Bobcats as they cruised to a 101-77 victory. Paul George finished with a triple-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.

The Boston Celtics showed heart and resiliency as they recovered from an 8-point third period to beat the Chicago Bulls, 71-69. Neither team shot the ball well with both teams combining to shoot just over 36% from the field.

The Brooklyn Nets closed in on top spot in the Atlantic Division as they beat the Denver Nuggets, 119-108. C.J Watson replaced the missing Deron Williams in the Nets line-up and combined with back court partner, Joe Johnson, for 49 points.

JaVale McGee had three big slams, with this one being the biggest:

The Toronto Raptors head into the All-Star break on a 4-0 streak having beaten the New York Knicks 92-88. The Knicks have now lost three of their last four. Two bench players tied for a game-high in points with Alan Anderson and J.R Smith finishing with 26 points apiece.

Since losing Andre Drummond, the Detroit Pistons have won 3-of-4, with the latest win coming against the Washington Wizards, 96-85. Will Bynum scored 12 of his 20 points in the final period as the Pistons outscored the Wiz, 31-17 in the last 12 minutes.

The Milwaukee Bucks recorded an important win over their competition for the final play-off spot in the East, as they beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 94-92. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute saved the ball and saved the game for the Bucks on a final Philly possession.

Luc gives Bucks big win:

The Portland Trailblazers scored only 63 points in their loss to the New Orleans Hornets, going down, 99-63. Anthony Davis scored 21 points and added 11 rebounds in the Hornets second consecutive win. The Blazers finished runner-up in every statistical category of importance in their biggest loss of the season.

The Utah Jazz beat one of the best teams in the league on Tuesday night and followed it up by beating one of the worst in the Minnesota Timberwolves, 97-93. Al Jefferson had 20 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, while Derrick Williams exploded for 24 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.

Minnesota demonstrate how to run the fast break:

Vince Carter's game-high 26 points helped him move past Larry Bird on the All-time scoring list and helped the Dallas Mavericks see off the Sacramento Kings, 123-100.

The LA Clippers beat the Houston Rockets, 106-96, thanks to a vintage performance from Chauncey Billups. He scored 19 points. Blake Griffin finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the win. James Harden was held out ahead of the All-Star game this coming weekend.

DeAndre Jordan got his dunk on...TWICE:

Rudy's winner:

DeRozan smashes one on Mozgov:

The Sacramento Kings saw their two-game recovery come to an end when they met the Memphis Grizzlies, losing 108-101 in Memphis. Marc Gasol had 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Grizzlies' third straight win.

The Utah Jazz got back to winning ways on Tuesday night, beating the OKC Thunder, 109-94. Paul Millsap had a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards in the win while for the Thunder, Kevin Durant scored a game-high 33. The Thunder struggled from the free throw line, going 13-23 in the loss.

The Houston Rockets didn't need to hit 23 three-pointers to beat the Golden State Warriors this time, instead using balanced scoring from it's starters to top the Warriors, 116-107. James Harden and Steph Curry were tied with a game-high 27 points.

Marcus Morris gave Bogut the facial on this play:

Kobe Bryant shot only 1-of-8 and finished with nine assist and eight turnovers against the Phoenix Suns but his team-mates were able to cover for him as the LA Lakers beat the Suns, 91-84. Dwight Howard had 19 points and 18 rebounds for LA as former Laker, Shaquille O'Neal, looked on from his courtside seat.

Will Ferrell acted as security and ejected Shaq from Staples:

Earlier today though, Police released a statement to the media explaining the reason for the mass disappearances, as well as their decision to end the largest manhunt operation in recent history.

"We've discovered that Foot Locker is running it's Approved Heat campaign between February 2nd and March 2nd , during which time they will be releasing over 200 premium basketball products including basketball shoes from Derrick Rose, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. We believe that the availability of these new products are the reason people are staying in stores and refusing to return home."

The police continued their statement, saying they expected an increase in missing person reports on Valentine's Day, due to the exciting release of the Adidas D Rose 3.5 ASG, going on sale on Thursday 14th February.

Designed to reflect the Chicago Bulls star's cold-blooded attitude on the basketball court, the new shoe incorporates a cool blue colourway and will be available from tomorrow.

An image of the newest Adidas shoe was also released by the authorities:

Police have advised the public to visit the Foot Locker website for further details.

Established in 1974 and with over 500 stores across europe, Foot Locker has become an expert in its own right at sourcing and stocking the best styles from the biggest brands.

At no stage were police involved, nor was there a 'missing men' epidemic relating to Foot Locker's four-week event.

The Indiana Pacers played their second consecutive overtime game on Monday night when they met the Brooklyn Nets. And at the final buzzer, they had suffered their second consecutive overtime loss, going down to the Nets 89-84. The Pacers' David West suffered an eye injury in the first quarter and could only contribute seven points in the loss. Brook Lopez had a game-high 25 points.

The New Orleans Hornets returned to winning ways last night, beating the Detroit Pistons 105-86. The Hornets received a big game off the bench from sharpshooter, Ryan Anderson, who finished with 31 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three.

Tony Parker joined Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in sitting out the San Antonio Spurs' game against the Chicago Bulls, watching from the sidelines as the Spurs won their 13th game in 14 attempts, 103-89. Kawhi Leonard finished with a game-high 26 points but it was a team effort from the Spurs who improved their NBA-best record to 41-12. Luol Deng had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls.

February has been a hard month for the Milwaukee Bucks who lost their fourth straight game on Monday night. Their 102-90 loss to the Washington Wizards now takes their record to 1-5 in February. Bradley Beal had a game-high and season-high 28 points for the Wizards.

Josh Smith and Al Horford combined for 47 points and 23 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks' front court parring helped beat the Dallas Mavericks, 105-101. Dirk Nowitzki finished with his second highest points tally of the season with 24.

The LA Clippers channelled the spirit of the All-Star game by grabbing a bunch of dunk highlights during a 107-90 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Griffin, Paul and Crawford combined for 60 points.

Watch the Clippers turn on the style: