Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers continues to be the leader as voting for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game nears a conclusion.
Bryant has received 1,533,432 votes for the Feb. 14 contest in Toronto. Balloting concludes on Monday and the starters will be revealed on Jan. 21.
Golden State guard Stephen Curry (1,206,467) is the second-leading vote-getter and Cleveland forward LeBron James (830,345) ranks third overall and first among Eastern Conference players.
Joining Bryant and Curry as probable starters in the Western Conference are the Oklahoma City duo of forward Kevin Durant (774,782) and guard Russell Westbrook (609,901). Golden State forward Draymond Green (499,947) leads San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard (487,626) by a slim margin for the final starting spot.
Indiana forward Paul George (569,947) appears set to join James in the Eastern Conference frontcourt. Miami standout Dwyane Wade (736,732) is the leader among guards.
Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving (399,757), Toronto’s Kyle Lowry (367,472) and Chicago’s Jimmy Butler (356,561) are battling for the second starting guard spot. New York forward Carmelo Anthony (368,336) leads Detroit center Andre Drummond (361,307) for the final frontcourt starting gig.
—The NBA could be headed to Paris for future international games.
Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday in London before the Orlando Magic played the Toronto Raptors that he met with officials from sports and entertainment company AEG who want to bring a game to the French capital.
AEG owns the newly upgraded AccorHotels Arena in Paris in addition to O2 Arena in London. Silver called France a “fantastic basketball market.”
The Magic-Raptors matchup was the sixth NBA regular-season game to be played in London.
—Indiana Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey has a sprain and bone bruise in his right foot that will sideline him at least two weeks.
The Pacers plan to re-evaluate Stuckey at the end of the two-week period. Stuckey, 29, aggravated an existing foot injury Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns.