Wiggins rises above all Rising Stars

NEW YORK – The Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points, winning the MVP award and helping the World team beat the U.S. 121-112 on Friday night in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend.

Rudy Gobert added 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots, and Brooklyn's Bojan Bogdanovic of Croatia, playing on his home court, and Chicago's Nikola Mirotic from Montenegro each added 16 points for the World.

Orlando's Victor Oladipo and Zach LaVine of the Wolves each scored 22 points for the U.S. team in the game between rookies and second-year players.

It was another new format for the opening game of All-Star weekend, which originated as a contest between teams of rookies, later turned into rookies against second-year players, and this year changed to the world against U.S. players.

It looked like all the other versions, with lots of 1-on-1 play and little defense beyond Gobert, the French center who impressively stuffed Nets center Mason Plumlee late in the game with the World protecting a narrow lead.

Some of the dunks were impressive — all four contestants in Saturday's slam dunk contest were in Friday's game — but the play was spotty. Oladipo shot 8-for-21 and the teams combined for 51 turnovers.

Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the World. He's in the dunk contest Saturday along with LaVine, Oladipo and Plumlee.

Wolves center Gorgui Dieng had 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting and four rebounds in 19 minutes for the World team.

LaVine scored his 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting in 20 minutes, and Wolves forward Shabazz Muhammad had 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting with five rebounds in 18 minutes.

Little League phenom Mo'ne Davis was so impressive on a basketball court she momentarily silenced trash-talking "Wedding Ringer" star Kevin Hart.

Playing in the All-Star Celebrity Game against opponents more than twice her age, the 13-year-old drove past Hart, the game's MVP for the fourth time, with a spectacular spin move for an easy layup in the first quarter Friday night.

"That was pretty cool," Davis said. "I work on it but usually don't do it. It was the right time to do it."

Madison Square Garden was abuzz with stars from the NBA, WNBA and Hollywood two nights before the NBA All-Star Game is played Sunday. But much of the attention was on the teenager, who got one of the loudest ovations from the crowd when she was introduced before the game.

Davis, a pitcher, shot to fame as the first girl to win a Little League World Series game. Only in eighth grade, Davis already plays basketball for the high school varsity team.

"It was a lot of fun, a lot of people never saw me play basketball," she said. "To play in the celebrity All-Star Game was pretty cool."

The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year finished the All-Star Game with four points, helping the West team beat the East 59-51. Hart had 15 points.

"She was really impressive out there," said WNBA star Skylar Diggins. "She definitely held her own."

Hart announced his retirement from the game when he received his MVP trophy.

"It's my fourth MVP," the comedian said. "I can't do no more."