Kobe Bryant gets all the hype for his game winner because, well, he’s Kobe Bryant. But his was not the best game winning shot last night — that belonged to Jason Richardson of the Suns.
Boban? Crowder? Holmgren? Exploring player votes for All-Star starters
Cassy Athena/Getty Images
Four NBA players — not one as a joke, but four… as a joke — voted for injured Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren to start the NBA All-Star Game.
Love my supporters https://t.co/Jlm97o8ypB
— chet holmgren (@ChetHolmgren) January 27, 2023
The NBA All-Star Game starters were announced Thursday, chosen from a weighted vote of fans (50%), media (25%) and current players (25%).
While most NBA players may take their All-Star Game starter votes seriously, some do not — they vote for friends, college teammates, guys with the same agent, or just whoever they feel like.
Which is comedy gold once we comb through the public vote (Note: names are not attached to who cast a vote, but we do see who got votes). This season, that list of players getting at least one vote to be an All-Star starter include:
Bol Bol (Orlando Magic, he got six votes)
Willy Hernangomez (New Orleans Pelicans, he got five votes)
Juancho Hernangomez (Toronto Raptors, he got three votes)
Omer Yurtseven (Miami Heat, he got three votes)
Georges Niang (Philadelphia 76ers, he got five votes)
Ochai Agbaji (Utah Jazz, he got four votes)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Oklahoma City Thunder, he got three votes)
Bismack Biyombo (Phoenix Suns, he got three votes)
Jae Crowder (Phoenix Suns, he got two votes)
Udonis Haslem (Miami Heat, he got two votes)
Blake Griffin (Boston Celtics)
Boban Marjanovic (Houston Rockets)
Kemba Walker (Dallas Mavericks)
Kendrick Nunn (Los Angeles Lakers)
Ish Smith (Denver Nuggets)
Torrey Craig (Phoenix Suns)
Luka Garza (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Chimezie Metu (Sacramento Kings)
Furkan Korkmaz (Philadelphia 76ers)
R.J. Hampton (Orlando Magic)
Johnny Davis (Washington Wizards)
Cedi Osman (Cleveland Cavaliers)
MarJon Beauchamp (Milwaukee Bucks)
Paul Reed (Philadelphia 76ers)
That is just a fraction of the entire list.
Three things to Know: Knicks win another in clutch, beat Celtics in OT
Three Things To Know is NBC’s five-days-a-week wrap-up of the night before in the NBA. Check out NBCSports.com every weekday morning to catch up on what you missed the night before plus the rumors, drama, and dunks that make the NBA must-watch.
1) Knicks win another in clutch, beat Celtics in OT behind 37 from Randle
It will surprise Knicks fans, but New York has been a good clutch team in the tightest of games this season: In games within three points in the final three minutes, they are 11-9 with a +7.8 net rating.
The Knicks didn’t look like a clutch team — but did what Knicks fans expected — when they blew a 13-point lead by scoring just four points over the final 5:20 of the fourth quarter. Combine that with Jayson Tatum scoring 11 in the frame, and the Celtics came back to tie the game and force OT.
However, in the OT, the Knicks had RJ Barrett knocking down big shots.
And, with the game on the line, they had Jalen Brunson with the block.
WHAT AN ENDING IN BOSTON!
Jalen Brunson with the HUGE block to give the @nyknicks the #NBARivalsWeek overtime win! pic.twitter.com/jo39bvlTOH
— NBA (@NBA) January 27, 2023
With that, the Knicks went into Boston and pulled out the 120-117 OT win over the East-leading Celtics. Julius Randle had 27 points and nine rebounds (and hit the free throws that put the Knicks up for good in OT), Brunson scored 29, and Barrett added 19.
There are promising signs for Knicks fans:
Brunson and Randle just out-dueled Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Knicks have now racked up back-to-back wins against the Cavaliers and Celtics.
New York will need more wins like this because they will be battling the Heat, and maybe the Pacers, for that No. 6 seed and avoiding the play-in the rest of the season. But don’t sleep on a couple of quality wins.
2) Luka Doncic leaves game with ankle sprain; Mavericks win anyway
Name the team that could least afford to lose its superstar.
The Mavericks — with their heliocentric offense built around Luka Doncic — have to be at the top of the list.
Dallas could be without Doncic for a few games after he sprained his ankle just minutes into Thursday night’s contest against the Suns. Doncic drove on Cameron Johnson but when he couldn’t get to the rim he stopped, spun, tried to step back, stepped on the foot of Mikal Bridges and rolled his left ankle.
Luka went back to the locker room with an apparent ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/zHz5XBVawO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 27, 2023
Doncic left the game and he did not return. Dallas can’t afford to be without Doncic for long, it gets outscored by 5.3 points per 100 possessions this season when he sits. He is an All-Star starter and in the MVP mix. He averages 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists a game.
Just to prove that last paragraph wrong, the Jazz went out and beat the Suns 99-95 without Doncic behind a season-high 36 points from Spencer Dinwiddie, plus Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Season-high from Spencer Dinwiddie 🔥
The @dallasmavs picked up the win behind his 36 PTS, 6 REB and 9 AST! pic.twitter.com/0mNskSEqft
— NBA (@NBA) January 27, 2023
3) LeBron, Antetokounmpo captains as All-Star starters named
Last season, Team LeBron won the All-Star Game partly because LeBron James had Giannis Antetokounmpo on his team.
Not this year. It will be Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis, they received the most fan votes in their conferences and will be the captains for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. This is the sixth time LeBron is a captain, and his teams are 5-0.
In a new twist, James and Antetokounmpo will choose their teams right on the court before the game — true playground style. The captains will draft from a pool of starters announced Thursday — selected by a vote of fans, media, and current players — and then the backups from a list of reserves selected by the coaches (which will be announced next week).
Here are this year’s starters (two backcourt, three frontcourt players from each conference):
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Stephen Curry
Luka Doncic
LeBron James
Nikola Jokic
Zion Williamson
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Kyrie Irving
Donovan Mitchell
Kevin Durant
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Jayson Tatum
Joel Embiid was the odd man out of a tight race for the final frontcourt spot in the East (because the fans voted him fourth, the media and players each had him third, but the fans count for 50% of the weighted vote). This will be the first start for Williamson (if he’s healthy enough to play) and Mitchell.
Luka Doncic leaves game with sprained ankle, X-rays negative
Mavericks fans everywhere were holding their breath.
Just more than three minutes into a showdown with the Suns Thursday, Luka Doncic drove on Cameron Johnson but didn’t get around him, so Doncic stopped, spun, tried to step back, and stepped on the foot of Mikal Bridges‘ and rolled his left ankle.
Luka went back to the locker room with an apparent ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/zHz5XBVawO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 27, 2023
After a Torey Craig 3-pointer, Doncic left the game and hobbled back to the Mavericks locker room to be checked out. While X-rays were negative Doncic is out for the remainder of the game.
Luka Dončić (left ankle sprain) will not return to tonight’s game in Phoenix.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) January 27, 2023
It will be tomorrow before the Mavericks can get a feel for how long Doncic might be out. They can’t afford for him to be out long, Dallas has been outscored by 5.3 points per 100 possessions this season when Doncic is off the court. He has been playing through ankle soreness for a few weeks but has missed only a couple of games.
Doncic, who was just voted an All-Star starter, is in the MVP mix this season averaging 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists a game. The Mavericks are 8.7 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the court.
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo captains as All-Star starters named
LeBron James is just 157 points shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring record, which he should break early next month. But before breaking that iconic record, he tied Abdul-Jabbar for another NBA milestone.
LeBron was the leading fan vote-getter and is an NBA All-Star Game for the 19th time, tying Abdul-Jabbar for the most All-Star appearances in league history.
James and Giannis Antetokounmpo received the most fan votes in their conferences and will be the captains of the teams for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. This is Antetokounmpo’s third time as captain, it is LeBron’s sixth — and his teams are 5-0 in his previous captaincies.
In a new twist, James and Antetokounmpo will pick their teams playground style right on the court before the game. They will choose from a pool of starters announced Thursday — selected by a vote of fans, media, and current players — and then the backups from a list of reserves selected by the coaches (which will be announced next week). Here are this year’s starters (two backcourt, three frontcourt players from each conference):
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Stephen Curry
Luka Doncic
LeBron James
Nikola Jokic
Zion Williamson
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Kyrie Irving
Donovan Mitchell
Kevin Durant
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Jayson Tatum
This is the first start for Zion Williamson and Donovan Mitchell.
The vote also squeezed Joel Embiid out of a crowded frontcourt in the East. Here is the voting breakdown, where each player’s score is weighted based on 50 percent for the fan vote, 25 percent for player vote, and 25 percent for the media vote.
Eastern Conference Frontcourt
| Player (Team) | Fan Rank | Player Rank | Media Rank | Weighted Score |
| 1. *#Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.25 |
| 2. *Kevin Durant (Brooklyn) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2.5 |
| 3. *Jayson Tatum (Boston) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2.75 |
| 4. Joel Embiid (Philadephia) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.75 |
| 5. Jimmy Butler (Miami) | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5.5 |
| 6. Pascal Siakam (Toronto) | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5.75 |
| 7. Paolo Banchero (Orlando) | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7.25 |
| 8. Bam Adebayo (Miami) | 11 | 5 | 5 | 8.0 |
| 9. Julius Randle (New York) | 9 | 10 | 5 | 8.25 |
| 10. Kyle Kuzma (Washington) | 7 | 16 | 5 | 9.25 |
Eastern Conference Guards
| Player (Team) | Fan Rank | Player Rank | Media Rank | Weighted Score |
| 1. *Kyrie Irving (Boston) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1.75 |
| 2. *Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 |
| 3. Jaylen Brown (Boston) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.75 |
| 4. James Harden (Philadelphia) | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| 5. Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana) | 8 | 6 | 3 | 6.25 |
| 6. DeMar DeRozan (Chicago) | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6.5 |
| 7. Trae Young (Atlanta) | 12 | 5 | 6 | 7.0 |
| 8. LaMelo Ball (Charlotte) | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8.25 |
| 9. Darius Garland (Cleveland) | 10 | 7 | 6 | 8.25 |
| 10. Jalen Brunson (Milwaukee) | 12 | 8 | 9 | 10.25 |
*–Voted to start
#–Team captain
Western Conference Frontcourt
| Player (Team) | Fan Rank | Player Rank | Media Rank | Weighted Score |
| 1. *# LeBron James (Los Angeles) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
| 2. *Nikola Jokic (Denver) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 3. *Zion Williamson (New Orleans) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3.75 |
| 4. Anthony Davis (Los Angeles) | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4.25 |
| 5. Lauri Markkanen (Utah) | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5.75 |
| 6. Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento) | 9 | 5 | 3 | 6.5 |
| 7. Paul George (L.A. Clippers) | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6.75 |
| 8. Andrew Wiggins (Golden State) | 5 | 19 | 9 | 9.5 |
| 9. Draymond Green (Golden State) | 14 | 9 | 9 | 9.75 |
| 10. Kawhi Leonard (L.A. Clippers) | 11 | 14 | 7 | 10.75 |
Western Conference Guards
| Player (Team) | Fan Rank | Player Rank | Media Rank | Weighted Score |
| 1. *Stephen Curry (Golden State) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
| 2. *Luka Doncic (Dallas) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 3. Ja Morant (Memphis) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5. Damian Lillard (Portland) | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6.0 |
| 6. De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento) | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6.5 |
| 7. Devin Booker (Phoenix) | 10 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| 8. Russell Westbrook (Los Angeles) | 6 | 18 | 5 | 8.75 |
| 9. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota) | 13 | 8 | 5 | 9.75 |
| 10. Klay Thompson (Golden State) | 5 | 25 | 5 | 10 |
*–Voted to start
#–Team captain
