Flanked by showgirls, Wayne Newton sings "Viva Las Vegas" during pregame player introductions at Sunday's NBA All-Star Game at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 153-132. PHOTO BY JOHN LOCHER. Christina Aguilera performs at halftime during the NBA All-Star game on Sunday. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Sean "Diddy" Combs, left, takes a call while chatting with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the NBA All-Star game at the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday. photo by K.M. Cannon.

With the world watching Sunday, Las Vegas did the NBA All-Star Game like only Las Vegas could.

It all started with Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton, flanked by more than a dozen showgirls, singing "Viva Las Vegas" during pregame player introductions.

There was Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a showgirl on each arm, presenting the game ball at center court. There was Siegfried and Roy with a pre-game welcome, Danny Gans singing the national anthem, Cirque du Soleil twirling and cartwheeling at halftime, and more local entertainers helping Las Vegas live up to its glitzy -- some might say cheesy -- reputation.

Not to mention the A-list celebrities populating the sellout crowd of 15,694 inside the Thomas & Mack Center.

After the game, Goodman seemed to be smiling even more than usual. He called the event the "perfect marriage. Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, and the NBA, the greatest exhibition of basketball, getting together for a great night. ... There isn't one person in this room tonight who didn't love being in Las Vegas."

The game itself had its highlight moments, but the Eastern Conference players couldn't keep close as their Western Conference counterparts cruised to a 153-132 win thanks in large part to the MVP performance of the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

He was cheered on by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver.

Whenever the game lacked excitement on the court, fans could turn their attention to the who's who of the celebrity world sharing the building.

From sports stars Barry Bonds and Terrell Owens, to screen stars Eva Longoria and Steve Carell, to superstar rappers Jay Z and Ludacris, the Thomas & Mack was a tabloid's dream.

"This is unbelievable," said Ellis Holliday, a 36-year-old arena usher. "This is in a class by itself."

The magnitude of the event was especially evident behind the scenes.

The arena hooked up 10 satellite television trucks, five times more than for the usual big event, said Matt Ewing, Thomas & Mack Center's production manager.

Inside the arena, engineers hung roughly 120,000 pounds of lighting, sound and video equipment, about 20,000 pounds more than your run-of-the-mill Metallica or U2 concert.

"It's the most we've ever had hanging from the ceiling," Ewing said. "We had to have a structural engineer sign off on it."

The more than 2,000 amps of electrical power required during the game also set an arena record, he said.

Food and drink sales reached new highs. Concession sales during the game hit $160,000, easily surpassing the previous one-day record of $135,000 set during the National Finals Rodeo, said Joe Carter, the arena's food and beverage director.

The arena hired 75 extra people for catering alone to feed the 2,900 media members, NBA staffers and production crews coming and going all week, he said. And game day fans found three portable beer stands and two margarita carts brought in to supplement the usual array of libations concessionaires.

"We couldn't imagine a better reception, and we thank you for it," NBA Commissioner David Stern said after the game.

More than 25,000 tourists were expected in town specifically for the NBA's showcase event. The NBA crowd combined with Chinese New Year revelers and Presidents Day weekend tourists to tie up traffic and boost the number of arrests, but Las Vegas police reported no major incidents as of late Sunday.

"It looks like our plan worked," said officer Bill Cassell, a spokesman for department.

The major issue has been snarled traffic on Interstate 15 and on surface roads around the Strip and the Thomas & Mack. Today could be just as bad on the highway as tourists staying for the three-day weekend and NBA crowds head out of town, Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Kevin Honea said.

Security inside the arena was tight throughout the event. Everyone entering the arena walked through a metal detector, and Las Vegas police officers stood watch throughout the arena concourses.

Those who got into the Thomas & Mack counted themselves among the fortunate ones. Tickets were hard to come by for most ordinary fans unless they ponied up several thousand dollars.

CeCe Zumtobel of Reno wasn't one of them, however. A Las Vegas native who moved north four years ago, she was determined to attend the game with her family, and her husband found tickets through his work connections.

"We heard on the news you had to be rich, powerful or lucky," she said. "I guess we were lucky."

Peter Jovani counted himself among the lucky ones, too.

The 39-year-old Las Vegas resident nabbed a pair of tickets at the $400 face value by jumping on the phone to the box office right after they went on sale.

The tickets weren't great.

"High up there. We're just happy to be part of the experience," said Jovani, who went with his 12-year-old son, Gio.

Jovani said the entire week was great for Las Vegas.

"It's just been incredible -- the energy," he said. "I've gone to some heavyweight title fights where the energy was pretty serious. But this is some serious energy in town."

It's that energy that Goodman and other city boosters hope can help lure an NBA franchise to Las Vegas. Stern has resisted for years because gamblers can bet on NBA games in casino sports books, although he softened his stance this past week, saying it's an issue for the owners to decide.

Waiting outside the arena before the game, actor Louis Gossett Jr. said he loved Las Vegas, but its gambling would pose challenges for a professional team.

"You have to have the right players," he said. "The temptation will be great on young men to always do the right thing."

Putting an NBA team in Las Vegas got the endorsement of former NBA player and current on-air commentator Steve Kerr, who played on five NBA championship teams.

"I love Vegas. I think it's a great place for an all-star game," said Kerr, who visits the city every year with friends to draft their fantasy football teams and play golf.

He would love to see an NBA team playing for good in Las Vegas.

"There's the gambling issue," he said. "We'll see if they can overcome it. It sure makes sense."

Review-Journal staff writers Paul Harasim and David McGrath Schwartz contributed to this report.