Suns’ Kevin Durant named NBA All-Star Game starter

On By Littum

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant was named an NBA All-Star Game frontcourt starter for the Western Conference on Thursday.

It is the 15th All-Star selection for Durant during his 17-year career and his second straight as a member of the Suns.

Durant is sixth in the NBA by scoring 27.2 points per The 36-year-old is also sixth in the league among forwards this season with 1.4 blocks per game. match. He has missed 10 games this season due to calf and ankle injuries.

The Suns forward will start alongside LeBron James (Lakers), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Stephen Curry (Warriors) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder).

The Eastern Conference starters are Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) and Jalen Brunson (Knicks).

Starters were chosen via fan vote (50%), a media panel (25%) and by current NBA players (25%). Reserves will be announced next Thursday. The NBA’s coaches vote on the reserves, and commissioner Adam Silver chooses injury replacements.

Despite not being named a starter, Devin Booker could be named a reserve as he is 10th in the league in scoring at 25.7 points per game. match.

After going through a stretch where the Suns won just once over an eight-game stretch, Durant and Booker have helped lead the Suns to a 7-3 record in their last 10 games. During that span, Booker is averaging 28.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds, while Durant has posted 26.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

The NBA All-Star Game will take place on February 16 in San Francisco and will feature a tournament-style format, after recent iterations saw captains pick their teams and an East vs. west format returned last season.

Each of the four teams has eight players each. Three of the teams will consist of the 24 NBA All-Stars, while the final team will be composed of winners from the Rising Stars game.

Two teams fight in one semi-final and have to take on the winner of the other semi-final for the championship.