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Damian Lillard Talks Adjustment To Milwaukee, Stotts, Giannis, More

February 28th, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Chris Mannix of SI.com, Damian Lillard acknowledged that his first season in Milwaukee has been a “real transition” and remains a “work in progress.” While his – and the Bucks‘ – performance on the court has been the focus of that adjustment period, the eight-time All-Star guard noted that the personal aspect of the move has been challenging too.

“Being away from my kids is tough,” said Lillard, who filed for divorce in October. “In Portland, my life was set up. My mom was down the street; my brother was the other way down the street. My sister was down the street. My kids in school. Just my whole life was set up perfectly right there. It was a great situation. So just leaving that behind alone is a lot. And then you add the basketball side to it and that is what it is.”

After spending the first 11 years of his NBA career with the Trail Blazers, Lillard doesn’t have the same sort of life outside of basketball in Milwaukee that he did in Portland, he admitted when Mannix asked him about his routine.

“Bro, go to practice, go home, watch boxing, play video games,” Lillard said. “Man, I type in (boxing website) FightHype on YouTube 100 times and be praying for something new to be on there. Seriously, I don’t have much of a life. But that’s what comes with making a big boy decision. You got to be down for that and figure it out.”

Here are a few more highlights from Lillard’s conversation with Mannix, which was conducted just before the All-Star break (and before the Bucks’ recent three-game winning streak):

Lillard said that the season hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as he might’ve envisioned after he made his preseason debut back in October, but that he believes the ups and downs the Bucks have experienced will ultimately be good for the team. “I thought we were going to be how Boston is right now,” he told Mannix. “But I think what I’ve learned is that some things take time, especially stuff that has reward in the end. You can’t come into it and think that it’s just going to be all peaches and cream. … We’ve had adversity hit our team two or three different times and we’ve managed to still be a top-three team in the East with a lot of games to go and still being far away from reaching what we could be and what we should be. And since Doc (Rivers) has gotten here, we’ve kind of shuffled some things around and set kind of a new foundation of things that’s really encouraging.”
Having Terry Stotts on the Bucks’ coaching staff created a level of comfort and familiarity for Lillard that went away when the former Trail Blazers head coach resigned from his assistant position before the regular season began. “Now I’m like, O.K., what’s this play?’ I was kind of in the figuring out stage,” Lillard said of the period following Stotts’ exit. “So when you don’t really know stuff like the back of your hand, it is hard to direct traffic and be telling people, ‘I want you right here or there.’ Point guards, especially veteran point guards, man, we play the game differently than a young talented point guard. We are just manipulating everything. And that’s hard to do for the team and for yourself when you’re just trying to learn.”
Citing the Nuggets duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic as an aspirational example, Lillard said that he and Giannis Antetokounmpo have a strong relationship and want to continue to improve their on-court chemistry to reach that championship level. “(Murray and Jokic) played together for six or seven years. They don’t even think about it no more,” Lillard said. “But in the beginning, they struggled. Jokic would have his moments and then Jamal Murray would struggle and then he would have his moments and then it would take away from him. And then once they figured it out, they went out there and won it.”
Lillard “absolutely” believes that the Bucks are capable of winning a title this spring: “I’d be the first to tell you it’s been a challenging year, but the kind of person I am, when stuff like this start happening, I start thinking there’s a reward coming. That’s how I think because I do s–t the right way. I don’t change. I don’t mistreat people. I don’t cheat my process. I still go to the gym at night. I do my stuff, my body, I do everything. I did think we’d be rolling a lot sooner than this. But I know we can get there.”

Central Notes: Giannis, Gallinari, Pistons, Haliburton

February 21st, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said former coach Adrian Griffin was “figuring things out” before the team fired him last month, but he’s enjoying the security of having Doc Rivers in charge, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo felt like he had to become a more vocal locker room leader earlier in the season with a first-time head coach running the team. That responsibility has eased, and Antetokounmpo expressed full confidence in Rivers’ ability to get the team ready for the postseason.

“We have to keep on evolving. We don’t have to change our identity,” he said. “Of course, we gotta be stronger. We gotta be tougher. I have to play better. I have to see the game better. But we have to keep on evolving. We have to add coach Doc’s philosophy with what has been working and hopefully can create a great mix for the next 25 games that we have and compete in the playoffs.”

Another major difference for Milwaukee will be the presence of Damian Lillard, a supreme scorer with the ability to take over playoff games. Antetokounmpo and Lillard had discussions about the direction of the season while they were in Indianapolis for All-Star Weekend, Nehm adds.

“I am his biggest fan,” Antetokounmpo said. “Good or bad, I ride with Dame until the f—ing end. I ride with Dame. Like I’ve been saying this over and over again. This. Is. His. Team. Down the stretch, he’s going to get the ball. There’s nothing else that we will do. I don’t know how else to put it. I don’t know what else to say. But at the end of the day, he has to believe it too.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Coach Billy Donovan talked to Danilo Gallinari about joining the Bulls before he opted to sign with Milwaukee, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Donovan, who coached Gallinari during the 2019/20 season in Oklahoma City, said the veteran forward was looking for a situation with a greater opportunity for playing time.
Pistons coach Monty Williams said winning as many games as possible will be the priority for the rest of the season, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “I’m not going to be throwing certain combinations on the floor just to see how they look,” Williams said. “We’re done with that … we’ll be competing.”
Tyrese Haliburton had been listed as questionable with a hamstring issue for every game since January 30, but he’s not on the Pacers‘ injury report for Thursday’s contest with Detroit, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Aaron Nesmith will miss the game with a sprained right ankle, while Jalen Smith is questionable due to back spasms.

Rivers: Bucks’ Job Has Been “Probably More Difficult Than I Thought”

February 18th, 2024 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Doc Rivers coached his first game for the Bucks nearly three weeks ago, a Milwaukee team that opened the season by winning 32 of its first 46 games has gone just 3-7. While that stretch includes losses to some of the NBA’s top teams – including Minnesota and Denver – Rivers’ club also dropped games in Portland and Memphis.

“It’s been probably more difficult than I thought,” Rivers admitted on All-Star Saturday, according to Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports.

The Bucks announced on January 23 that they had parted ways with previous head coach Adrian Griffin, then formally confirmed the hiring of Rivers three days later. Assistant Joe Prunty served as the interim coach for three games after Griffin’s departure, but Rivers was on the Bucks’ bench by Jan. 29, less than a week after Griffin’s dismissal, as the Bucks began a five-game Western Conference road trip.

“Taking a job when you’re about to go on the toughest road trip of the season is not the smartest decision,” Rivers said. “I even told them that: ‘Can we wait ‘til All-Star break?’ You know, it would have been a lot nicer.

“… The end game is what we’re playing for, and the organization felt strongly that a change needed to be made defensively and things like that, and that’s what we’re doing. The problem is, while you’re doing that, you’re in the middle of the season on the toughest trip. … I’ve been in Milwaukee (for) four days. I’ve had the job for three weeks.”

As Rivers alluded to, the Bucks’ defensive struggles under Griffin were one reason the team decided to make a change, and Milwaukee’s defense has technically improved since Rivers took over. The team has allowed 113.6 per 100 possessions over its last 10 games, compared to 116.8 under Griffin, Weitzman notes. But the club’s offensive production has fallen off significantly during the same stretch, with its offensive rating diving from 120.6 under Griffin to 111.9 under Rivers.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo admitted that the team’s frequent coaching changes over the past year – from Mike Budenholzer to Griffin to Prunty to Rivers – have been “draining,” with Milwaukee’s players being asked to constantly adjust to new philosophies and game plans. However, he expressed faith in Rivers on Saturday, per Weitzman.

“I love working with Coach Doc. He’s been very, very successful,” Antetokounmpo said. “We can talk all day about things he’s accomplished around the league. He’s won, I think, 1,100 NBA games. Some people have never played 1,100 games. Yeah, he brings that level of — how can I say? A championship level to the team. He won. He’s coached a lot of successful teams in the past.”

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Dame, Rivers, Grousbeck

February 16th, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Rory Maher

After dropping Thursday’s national TV game against the injury-riddled Grizzlies, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo called out his team’s effort and desire to win, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. While Milwaukee is currently 35-21, the No. 3 seed in the East, the Bucks are just 3-7 under new head coach Doc Rivers, Nehm notes.

“We have to want it, man,” Antetokounmpo said. “Like enough with the talking. Enough with the, ‘our s–t don’t stink’ mentality. Do we really want it? Are we putting in the work? Are we going to put in the effort? Are we going to fight for what we think that we deserve or what our goals are trying to accomplish? That is the most important thing.

“Guys are tired, that’s an excuse. New coach, excuse. New system, excuse. New defense, excuse. All of it, it’s excuse. At the end of the day, you’re going to go out there and try to play basketball, try to compete and they competed harder than us today. They competed harder than us two days ago. We are not on track of what we are trying to do and I feel like the team feels it. The team feels it. I feel it.”

As for Rivers, the longtime veteran coach said some of his players’ minds may have been elsewhere in the final game before the All-Star break.

“It just told us where we are at,” Rivers said of the open to the third quarter. “The first play, we gambled for the 50th time in the corner, guy drives, we have to help, leads to a 3. We come back. On our set, two guys forget what we’re running. Then we missed a shot, and then nobody gets back. That’s how we start out the third quarter. That tells you all you need to know about where our heads were.

“We had some guys here and we had some guys in Cabo.”

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Antetokounmpo may not have shown any obvious signs of the injury on Thursday after scoring 35 points on 15-of-17 shooting in 37 minutes, but he continues to deal with patellar tendinitis in his right knee, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required). The two-time MVP was initially listed as probable on the injury report but was downgraded to questionable before eventually suiting up. Antetokounmpo has missed just two games this season, and none since the injury popped up a couple weeks ago, Owczarski adds.
In an interview with Katie Heindl of UPROXX, Antetokounmpo suggested the Bucks have done a good job ensuring Damian Lillard feels comfortable in Milwaukee. The All-Star guard had spent his entire career with Portland before being traded to the Bucks shortly before the season began. “We had to make him feel as comfortable as possible on the basketball court, but also off the court. It’s hard. We knew it would be hard for him. I think everybody, the team, did a good job,” Antetokounmpo said. “We supported him, and now he feels comfortable. So, our goal stays the same: to be the last team standing.”
Before making their mid-season hiring of Rivers, the Bucks called Wyc Grousbeck for feedback on his former coach, the Celtics co-owner revealed on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “I love Doc,” Grousbeck said, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. “I got a reference call on Doc from the Bucks. Truthfully, I made a truthful statement, of course. I said we would not have won it in 2008 without Doc. He took that team, molded it together and led the way. He had a ton to do with the championship, and he’s always going to be very special. Very special friend of mine.”

Warriors To Explore Trades For Star Wing In Offseason?

February 14th, 2024 at 5:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors sources confirm to Sam Amick, Anthony Slater and Jovan Buha of The Athletic that Golden State made an unsuccessful run at Lakers superstar LeBron James prior to last week’s trade deadline. However, there’s “zero indication” the Warriors came close to acquiring James, per The Athletic’s report.

Still, the fact that Golden State tried to pry James out of L.A. shows the Warriors are willing to take big swings to try and capitalize on Stephen Curry‘s still-excellent form, despite his advancing age (he turns 36 next month). And it opened the door to a possible pursuit again this summer, when James could hit unrestricted free agency if he declines his $51.4MM player option.

According to The Athletic, James won’t be the only marquee player the Warriors will explore going after, assuming they’re even available. Their “dream scenario” would be trading for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Clippers wing Paul George and Suns forward Kevin Durant among the other star wings on their wish list.

Antetokounmpo has only ever played for Milwaukee and signed a long-term extension before the season began that has him under contract through at least 2027, with a player option for 2027/28. George holds a $48.8MM player option for ’24/25 and has openly said he hopes to sign an extension with the Clippers (he’d have to decline the PO to sign an extension). Durant, who won back-to-back titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, could hit free agency in 2026.

The emergence of Jonathan Kuminga — whom GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. called “virtually” untouchable after the deadline — has given the Warriors an internal pathway to a possible star running mate for Curry. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. Depending on what route Golden State takes, Kuminga could also be an enticing headliner in a blockbuster trade, The Athletic’s authors note.

As Amick, Slater and Buha write, only one of the Warriors’ future first-round picks (2030) is tied up in a trade beyond this year’s draft, and the team will have some financial flexibility as well, with Klay Thompson on an expiring $43.2MM contract and Chris Paul on a pseudo-expiring deal (his $30MM salary for ’24/25 is non-guaranteed).

And-Ones: MVP Race, 2024 Draft, Korkmaz, Okafor, More

February 13th, 2024 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

With Joel Embiid no longer eligible for this season’s MVP award due to the number of games he has missed, the race appears wide open, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who conducted another version of his straw poll ahead of the All-Star break.

The 100 media members polled over the weekend by MacMahon selected Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the current MVP favorite, with Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the runner-up. Jokic earned 69 first-place votes and was the only player selected by all 100 voters on their five-player ballots, while Gilgeous-Alexander was listed on 99 ballots and was the top choice on 24 of them.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard rounded out the top five in Bontemps’ latest poll, with Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell also appearing on double-digit ballots. Notably, while just four of 100 media members had Anthony Edwards in their top five, one made the Timberwolves guard their MVP choice.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Although Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) still feel as if the 2024 draft class is short on high-end talent, they believe it could end up being a relatively deep draft. Givony and Woo suggest that some teams will be able to find rotation players later in the first round or in the second round, even if there are no sure-fire stars at the top of the class.
After being traded from Philadelphia to Indiana and then waived by the Pacers, veteran swingman Furkan Korkmaz has turned down interest from Turkish club Besiktas for now and is hoping to remain in the NBA, according to a report from Eurohoops. Korkmaz didn’t play much for the Sixers the past two seasons, but is still just 26 years old and is a 36.1% three-point shooter over the past five years.
Former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor is on the move again, having recently signed with Puerto Rican team Capitanes de Arecibo, as Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Okafor played in Spain and China earlier this season. He last played in the NBA with Detroit in 2020/21.
Grizzlies guard Vince Williams has been chosen to replace injured Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels in this Friday’s Rising Stars game at All-Star weekend, while Indiana Mad Ants guard Kyle Mangas will replace Sixers two-way player Kenneth Lofton Jr. in the G League Next Up game, according to a pair of announcements from the NBA and NBAGL.

Central Notes: Haliburton, Rivers, LaVine, Cunningham

January 30th, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is locked into a five-year extension that begins next season, but his hamstring strain, which kept him out nearly two weeks until Tuesday’s game against Boston, could prove very costly.

Haliburton’s total salary on that five-year deal could be either $204.5MM or $245.3MM, depending upon whether he’s paid 30% of a team’s salary cap as opposed to 25%. That extra 5% can be earned if he wins the MVP award or Defensive Player of the Year — or is voted onto one of the three All-NBA teams. However, under the new CBA he must appear in 65 regular-season games to qualify for postseason honors. He has already missed 13 games this season.

Haliburton realizes he can’t miss too many more games to get the full amount, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star writes.

“I’m human like you guys,” he said. “I use the Internet as well. I completely understand it and I understand what’s at stake for me financially as well. But at the end of the day, it’s also that I have to take care of my body to the best of my ability and put myself in the right situation. Yeah, I know I don’t have a ton of games left.”

Haliburton voiced his displeasure regarding the new qualifications.

“I think it’s a stupid rule like many guys in the league,” Haliburton said. “But this is what the owners want, so as players, we have to do our job and play in 65 games if we’re able to. That’s what I gotta do, take care of my body to be able to play in those games.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he’s intent on maximizing the potential of the Giannis Antetokounmpo–Damian Lillard pairing, Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays. “It’s been effective, but it should be dominant, in my opinion,” Rivers said. “We did a lot of two-man work today. You won’t probably see a lot of it (immediately), but it was clear, I think the whole team pretty much got what we did after 20 minutes of doing the same thing. It’s important for us. And then the three-man game with Khris (Middleton). Throw Khris in there, too. That’s important, as well.”
Rivers replaced Adrian Griffin, who lost his job mainly due to the team’s defensive slippage. Even though the Bucks were defeated by Denver in Rivers’ debut, the new coach said the team is quite capable of regaining its defensive prowess, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I told our guys, anyone who told you you couldn’t play defense lied,” Rivers said. “You proved that (Monday). You competed. … Our half-court defense was excellent. I think (Monday) was an offensive loss. I didn’t think we were crisp offensively.”
Bulls coach Billy Donovan talks to Zach LaVine on a regular basis, but trade rumors are not a topic for discussion, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. ‘‘I haven’t talked to him about anything with the rumor piece of it,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I would just guess that with him being in the league for 10 years that these things would kind of happen. My talks with him have been more centered around his frustration with being out.’’ LaVine is currently sidelined by a right foot injury.
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is listed as probable to play against Cleveland on Wednesday, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Cunningham missed eight games with a left knee strain, returned to action against Washington on Saturday, then sat out the second game of a back-to-back on Sunday.

Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo Named Players Of The Week

January 29th, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns guard Devin Booker and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced (via Twitter). It’s the second time this season that each player has earned the honor.

In four games last week, Booker went on a scoring spree, averaging 42.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block in 37.4 minutes per contest. The three-time All-Star posted a staggering .639/.500/.829 shooting line. Phoenix went 2-2 last week and is currently 26-20, the No. 7 seed in the West.

Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, helped lead Milwaukee to a 3-1 record last week, averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 33.7 minutes. He posted a .603/.429/.600 shooting line.

Interestingly, Joel Embiid (70 points, 18 rebounds, five assists) and Luka Doncic (73 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) had 70-plus points in a game last week, but neither player won the weekly award. Though they obviously had extremely strong individual cases, perhaps their team records (1-2 and 1-3, respectively) worked against them.

Embiid missed Saturday’s game at Denver and will be sidelined again on Monday in Portland, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

According to the NBA (Twitter links), the other nominees in the West were Harrison Barnes, Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kawhi Leonard, D’Angelo Russell and Anfernee Simons, while Jalen Brunson, Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam were nominated in the East.

Central Notes: Rivers, Bucks, Haliburton, Sheppard, Cavs

January 28th, 2024 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Saturday what compelled him to return to the NBA’s head coaching ranks less that one year after being let go by Philadelphia and just a few months after joining ESPN as an analyst, Doc Rivers pointed to the Bucks‘ two superstars as a primary motivating factor.

“You know the answer. Giannis (Antetokounmpo), Dame (Lillard). Really, that’s the answer,” Rivers said at an introductory news conference, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Like, you look at their team. What is it, eight teams that have a legitimate shot (at a championship)? And I don’t know if it’s that high, but the Bucks are one of them, right?

“The other thing is the way they’re built with the veterans and their grown-ups. I thought that if you’re going to jump into this at this time of the year, this would be a type of group that you have the best opportunity to connect and change the quickest.”

For their part, Antetokounmpo and Lillard expressed excitement on Saturday about Rivers’ arrival, with Giannis citing the veteran coach’s “great energy” and Dame noting that Rivers won’t be afraid to challenge the team.

“He’s a strong voice. He’s going to demand more from our team,” Lillard said. “He’s not going to be afraid to challenge myself, he’s not going to be afraid to challenge Giannis…all the way down the line. I think when you’re dealing with a team that’s full of vets and as talented as we are, I think that’s something that you need if you want to reach the level that we want to reach.”

Rivers is on track to make his Bucks coaching debut on Monday in Denver.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss a fifth straight game on Sunday due to his left hamstring injury, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. According to head coach Rick Carlisle, Haliburton will practice on Monday and will be considered day-to-day going forward.
After playing almost exclusively garbage-time minutes in the first half, Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard has averaged 18.4 minutes in the past seven games. While Sheppard’s numbers in his rotation role have been modest, his impressive hustle has served as a reminder of why Indiana liked him at No. 26 in last year’s draft, Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star.
Pete Nance‘s 10-day deal with the Cavaliers expired overnight on Saturday, so he’s no longer under contract with the team. Cleveland now has 13 players on standard contracts and will have up to two weeks to add a 14th man, whether that’s Nance on a second 10-day deal or someone else. If the Cavs take the full two weeks, they won’t be able to drop to 13 players for the rest of 2023/24, since teams can only carry fewer than 14 for up to 28 days in a season. The Cavs already used up 14 of those days after finalizing Ricky Rubio‘s buyout and before signing Nance.

2024 All-Star Starters Revealed; LeBron Sets Selection Record

January 25th, 2024 at 6:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The NBA revealed the 2024 All-Star Game starters on Thursday night, with Lakers forward LeBron James leading the pack with his record-breaking 20th straight selection. James has been a starter since 2005, his second season in the league, and broke his tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most selections in league history (Twitter link via NBA PR).

James and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will serve as captains. Joining James as Western Conference starters are Suns forward Kevin Durant, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. James is a captain for a seventh straight year.

Joining Antetokounmpo as Eastern Conference All-Star starters are Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, Bucks guard Damian Lillard, Sixers center Joel Embiid and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Thursday’s selections represent milestones for several players. Antetokounmpo is making his eighth career start and was the top vote-getter. Lillard is making his first career All-Star start. Haliburton is the fourth player in Pacers history to be named an All-Star starter, joining Paul George, Reggie Miller and Jermaine O’Neal (Twitter link). Embiid is a starter after not being named one in his MVP season a year ago. Tatum is making his fifth All-Star Game.

In the West, Doncic set the Mavs’ franchise record with four All-Star Game starts. Jokic was first in player and media voting en route to his sixth straight selection. Gilgeous-Alexander is making his first start. Durant is making his 14th All-Star appearance.

The starters are selected by a weighted voting process with the fan vote accounting for half of the final outcome. The player and media portions of the vote each counted for 25 percent. Three frontcourt players and two guards were selected from each conference.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes there was little drama in the selections for the starting positions. The voting totals from fans didn’t vary much from week to week, with Embiid, Haliburton, Tatum, Antetokounmpo, James, Jokic and Durant well ahead in their respective positions. The second guard spot in the East was more competitive, with Lillard and Hawks guard Trae Young going back and forth in fan voting. The guard spots in the West were also tight, with Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Warriors guard Stephen Curry close in voting. Bontemps points out Lillard finished well ahead of Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in fan voting to earn the starting nod.

Full voting results can be found here.

The coaches for each All-Star team will be determined via the standings on Feb. 4, with the top-seeded coach taking the reins for each conference. However, Boston’s Joe Mazzulla and Denver’s Michael Malone are ineligible by virtue of the fact that they coached the two teams last season. Entering Thursday, the Thunder and Timberwolves are tied atop the West while the Bucks are next up behind the Celtics in the East, with the Sixers one game behind Milwaukee.

This year, the league is returning to the East vs. West format, so these players are suiting up for their respective conferences in the 73rd NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 18.

The reserves, who are picked by the league’s coaches, will be announced Feb. 1.