"On a Saturday night, at the Staples Center, and in front of an international TV audience, Warriors point guard Stephen Curry finally felt like he got the vindication he was seeking.

"That dunk was for all of the guys who make fun of my dunking ability," Curry said. "I tried to dunk again on the second run, but I had to let that one go a little early, and then Russell (Westbrook) came behind me and showed me up with a thunderous tomahawk."

Interestingly, it was Curry's second run through the point guard Skills Challenge - the one that ended with a layup instead of a dunk - that clinched the title in 28.2 seconds. Westbrook followed with a 44.2-seconds run to finish second.

Curry advanced to the second round, beating out Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and John Wall, despite missing three shots from the top of the key during his run. Curry was nearly flawless on the second run, and he sported red shoes complete with a Wildcat logo as a tribute to his Davidson College family.

Early ending: Warriors swingman Dorell Wright scored 11 points in the three-point contest, but was knocked out of the competition by Paul Pierce, who made a two-point "money ball" on his last rack. James Jones won the competition with 20 points in the second round.

Wright, a Los Angeles native, was making his first trip to All-Star weekend. He promised himself seven years ago that he wouldn't attend the event unless he was asked to participate. "It still couldn't have been much better than this, but the only way to guarantee I get to come back would have been to win the thing," Wright said.

Knee injuries have limited some of Wright's athleticism - skills, he says, are just returning to form."