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Tim good morningESPN
The NBA announced Tuesday night the reserve selections for the All-Star game in Atlanta, next month, a list with the title of the Brooklyn Nets star, James Harden, as well as the center of Rudy Gobert and the guard of Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, the league leader.
Harden, the most valuable NBA player in 2018, represents Brooklyn for the first time in what will be his ninth consecutive All-Star appearance. The last eight came with the Houston Rockets, who traded Harden to Brooklyn as part of a four-team deal last month. Since trading, Harden has averaged 24.9 points and 11.4 assists per game in 18 games with Brooklyn. He will be joined by teammates Kevin Durant – one of the two captains, along with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James – and Kyrie Irving, both of whom were voted incumbents last week.
In addition to Harden, the other six teams in the Eastern Conference were: goalkeeper Jaylen Brown and striker Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics; New York Knicks striker Julius Randle; Chicago Bulls goalie Zach LaVine; Ben Simmons guard of the Philadelphia 76ers; and the Orlando Magic Nikola Vucevic Center.
Brown, ranked first in the NBA’s Best Player this season, averages the highest career level for the Celtics, including points (25.5), assists (3.9) and all three percentage categories shooting: target (49.7), 3 points (40.9) and free throw (76.6), helping him win his first All-Star selection. Meanwhile, Tatum has an average of 26.4 career points per game and makes his second consecutive appearance in the showcase in the middle of the league season.
Vucevic will make his second All-Star appearance after making it into the first two seasons ago, averaging 24.1 career points per game and recording the best 40% of his career in 3-point range. Meanwhile, Simmons will make his third consecutive All-Star appearance; The full guard is, along with incumbent Joel Embiid, a huge reason the Sixers entered the Eastern Conference’s best record on Tuesday.
They will be joined by a pair of All-Stars for the first time from two of the league’s flagship franchises in Randle and LaVine, both with years of careers. Randle, who helped lead the 15-16 Knicks in a surprising fight for a playoff bar, averages the best career points in almost every category played under Tom Thibodeau, while LaVine averages highs. career career of 28.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
In the last few weeks, there has been an intense debate about who would deserve the last two places in the East, with a deep fund of candidates to receive support. Eventually, however, the league’s coaches ended up leaving several of them, including: Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo and striker Jimmy Butler; Milwaukee Bucks, forward Khris Middleton; Forward 76 Tobias Harris; Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet; The Indiana Pacers protect Malcolm Brogdon and striker Domantas Sabonis; Atlanta Hawks guard, Trae Young; and Charlotte Hornets striker Gordon Hayward.
Outside of the West, Gobert and Mitchell were the leaders, as they were the two representatives of the Jazz, who enter Wednesday’s game against the Lakers on ESPN with the best record in the NBA and who have won 20 of the last 22 games. . Gobert, who is positioned to win the third Defensive Player of the Year award, is making his second consecutive All-Star appearance this season, after a few misses almost in previous seasons. It is also the second consecutive appearance for Mitchell, who has an average of 24.5 career points and 5.2 assists this season.
They were joined by: Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard; LA Clippers striker Paul George; Lakers striker Anthony Davis; Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans striker Zion Williamson.
Lillard could have easily become a starter, as he has another stellar season, averaging 29.8 points and 7.7 assists and keeping Portland in the playoffs, even if goalkeeper CJ McCollum and center Jusuf Nurkic are apart from long-term injuries. Meanwhile, George is back in the All-Star Game for the seventh time after missing him last year, his first in Los Angeles, after injuries delayed the start of his season. Davis, on the other hand, is almost certain to be replaced by someone before the All-Star Game because of the calf strain that the Lakers star currently has.
The last two places in the West went to one of the oldest stars in the league in Paul and one of the youngest in Williamson. Paul, who Phoenix bought before the season, is making his 11th All-Star appearance and second in a row, after moving up the list for Oklahoma City last year. Williamson, the best general choice in the 2019 NBA draft, makes his first appearance after an average of 25.1 points and shot over 60% of the field.
The two defeated a field of candidates for the last two places which included: San Antonio Spurs striker DeMar DeRozan; Thunder Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; Jazz goalkeeper Mike Conley, who continues to hold the unofficial title of best player to never form an All-Star team; Sun defender Devin Booker; and the pelicans advance Brandon Ingram.
As in recent seasons, the NBA will combine All-Stars into a single pool, which will be split 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 have, like last year, Elam Ending, in which teams play at a final score as opposed to a timed fourth quarter. Like last year, that final score will be determined by obtaining the combined score of the team that is ahead in three quarters and adding 24 points – in honor of the late Kobe Bryant – to that total.