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Tim BontempsESPN
The NBA announced the reserve selections for next month’s All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday night, a list topped by Brooklyn star Nets James Harden, as well as center Rudy Gobert and owner leader Donovan Mitchell of the leader of the league, Utah Jazz.
Harden, the NBA’s most valuable player in 2018, is representing Brooklyn for the first time in what will be his ninth consecutive All-Star appearance. The previous eight came with Houston Rockets, who left Harden for Brooklyn as part of a four-team deal last month. Since the exchange, Harden has averaged 24.9 points and 11.4 assists per game in 18 games with Brooklyn. He will join teammates Kevin Durant – one of the two captains, alongside Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James – and Kyrie Irving, who were voted on as starters last week.
In addition to Harden, the other six teams from the Eastern Conference were: point guard Jaylen Brown and striker Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics; Julius Randle of the New York Knicks; Zach LaVine, of the Chicago Bulls; The Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons; and the Orlando Magic Nikola Vucevic center.
Brown, the favorite for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award this season, is averaging career-high records for the Celtics, including points (25.5), assists (3.9) and all three categories of percentage of pitches: basket (49.7), 3 points (40.9) and free throw (76.6), helping you to win your first All-Star selection. Tatum, meanwhile, has an average of 26.4 points per game, the highest of his career, and is making his second consecutive appearance in the league’s mid-season showcase.
Vucevic will make his second appearance on the All-Star, having made his first two seasons ago, and is averaging 24.1 points per game, the best of his career, and achieving the best of his career by 40% in the 3-point range. . Simmons, for his part, will make his third consecutive appearance on the All-Star; the full guard is, alongside holder Joel Embiid, a big reason why the Sixers entered Tuesday with the best record of the Eastern Conference.
They will be joined by two debutant All-Stars from two of the league’s top franchises in Randle and LaVine, both of whom have years of careers. Randle, who helped lead the Knicks 15-16 in an astonishing contest for a playoff spot, averages career bests in virtually every category playing under Tom Thibodeau, while LaVine has an average high of 28.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
In recent weeks, there has been an intense debate over who deserves the final two vacancies in the East, with a large number of candidates garnering support. Ultimately, however, the league coaches ended up leaving out several of them, including: Miami Heat central Bam Adebayo and striker Jimmy Butler; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton; 76ers striker Tobias Harris; Fred VanVleet, of the Toronto Raptors; Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and striker Domantas Sabonis; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young; and Charlotte Hornets striker Gordon Hayward.
In the West, Gobert and Mitchell were the headliners, as they were the two representatives of Jazz, which goes to Wednesday’s clash against the Lakers on ESPN with the best NBA record, and having won 20 of their last 22 games. Gobert, who is poised to win his third Defensive Player of the Year award, makes his second consecutive All-Star appearance this season, after a few losses in previous seasons. It is also Mitchell’s second consecutive appearance, who has an average career record of 24.5 points and 5.2 assists this season.
They were accompanied by: Portland Trail Blazers guarding Damian Lillard; Paul George, from LA Clippers; Lakers striker Anthony Davis; The Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans striker Zion Williamson.
Lillard could easily have started, as he is having another stellar season, averaging 29.8 points and 7.7 assists and keeping Portland in the playoff play, although point guard CJ McCollum and center puffer Jusuf Nurkic are out with injuries. long-lasting. George, for his part, is back in the All-Star Game for the seventh time after losing the game last year, his first time in Los Angeles, after injuries delayed the start of his season. Davis, on the other hand, is almost certain to be replaced by someone ahead of the All-Star game because of the calf injury that currently leaves the Lakers star aside.
The last two spots in the West went to one of the oldest stars in the league in Paul and one of the newest in Williamson. Paul, whom Phoenix acquired before the season, makes his 11th All-Star appearance and the second in a row after joining Oklahoma City last year. Williamson, the best overall choice in the 2019 NBA draft, makes his first appearance after scoring an average of 25.1 points and throwing over 60% of the field.
These two won a group of candidates for the last two vacancies that included: San Antonio Spurs, striker DeMar DeRozan; Guard Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; Jazz guard Mike Conley, who continues to hold the unofficial title of best player ever to make an All-Star team; Suns guard Devin Booker; and pelicans attack Brandon Ingram.
As in recent seasons, the NBA will combine the All-Stars into one group, which will be divided into two teams by captains James and Durant. Jazz coach Quin Snyder will coach James’ team, while Sixers coach Doc Rivers will lead Durant’s team.
The game will also feature, like last year, with Elam Ending, in which the teams play until the final score, instead of a fourth timed period. As in the past year, the final score will be determined taking into account the combined score of the team that is ahead by three quarters and adding 24 points – in honor of the late Kobe Bryant – to that total.