NBA All-Star Game 2015: Rihanna, Beyonce, Jay-Z and Bill Clinton among stars court side to see Russell Westbrook steal the show

Westbrook scored 41 points as the West beat the East 163-158

(Getty Images)

Russell Westbrook was just a point shy of the all-time NBA All-Star Game points record as stars flocked to Madison Square Garden to see basketball's greatest exhibition game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard scored 41 points as the Western Conference beat the East 163-158 on Sunday night. Westbrook's MVP performance fell just short of Wilt Chamberlain's 42-point effort set way back in 1962.

Stars from the film, music and political world came in their droves to see the game, which sees the NBA's best players pitted against one another in a mid-season exhibition game.

Rihanna, Jay-Z and Beyonce, P Diddy, Christina Aguilera, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Floyd Mayweather, Chris Rock and even former US President Bill Clinton were among a large number of celebrities present at the game.

Clinton received the biggest cheer of the night when his face was shown across the big screens - Madison Square Garden was where he was nominated by the Democratic Party in 1992 ahead of his first successful election campaign.

James Harden of the Houston Rockets added 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the West, who built a 20-point lead in the first half and then pulled away after it was tied at 148 with a little more than 4 minutes remaining.

Westbrook was just a point off the all-time record (Getty Images)

Four-time league MVP LeBron James finished with 30 points, but couldn't lead the East to the victory in his favorite NBA arena.

Atlanta's Kyle Korver hit seven three-pointers and scored 21 points for the East, while Washington's John Wall had 19.

Additional reporting from AP