The NBA announced the All-Star starters for the Eastern and Western Conference on Thursday night, and for the 20th straight season, LeBron James will be a starter once again in an All-Star Game.
The All-Star Game will take place on February 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
In the West, along with James(20x), Kevin Durant(14x), Nikola Jokic(6x), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(2x), and Luka Doncic(5x) were named All-Star starters, while in the East, Joel Embiid(7x), Giannis(8x) Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum(5x), Tyrese Haliburton(2x), and Damian Lillard(8x) got the nod.
Fan votes served as the tiebreaker for players in a position group with the same score. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard won the tiebreaker with the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson for the second starting spot in the Eastern Conference guard group.
Starters for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game were selected by fans, current NBA players, and a media panel. Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the starters, while players and media accounted for 25 percent each.
The All-Star reserves will be announced on February 1.
The Cleveland Cavaliers(1-1) had their home opener on Friday night as they hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder(2-0).
In this contest, Cleveland was again with starting center Jarrett Allen(ankle), and he was joined by starting point guard Darius Garland(hamstring).
OKC would lead most of the game, but the Cavs would take over late. Unfortunately, Cleveland would fall apart down the stretch and fall to the Thunder 108-105.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to OKC.
Great:
Donovan Mitchell was once again big-time for Cavs, as he had game-high 43 points(15/27 FG, 4/11 3-point FG), including 14 points in the fourth quarter. He also added eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Mitchell was rolling in the fourth and Cleveland had their largest lead of 10 point in that quarter.
Evan Mobley got the start at center, and recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks.
Third Quarter: Cleveland trailed 52-42 at halftime, and they trailed 58-48 with just over nine minutes left in the third, but Cleveland turned things around and went on a 14-4 run to take their first lead since the second quarter. Caris LeVert scored 12 of his 17 points in the quarter, and Mitchell also had 12. However, the Cavs trailed 79-75 heading into the fourth.
Not So Great:
Shooting: Cleveland shot only 41% from the field, including 27%(12/45) from deep. Without Garland and Allen, these numbers are not surprising.
Final 2:37 of the Game: The Cavs led 100-90 with 2:37 left in the fourth; however, the Cavs could not seal the deal. The Thunder outscored the Cavs 18-5 the rest of the way. Chet Holmgren’s three with just over a minute to go tied the game at 102, and OKC would take the lead for good on a driving layup from Lu Dort with 28.6 seconds left.
With Cleveland trailing 105-102, they had one last chance to tie, but Mitchell would have a costly turnover, which led to a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steal.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs stole a game from the Nets in the season opener, and the Thunder took it right back in the home opener. Cleveland should have won this game for sure. This game was winnable on all levels. However, again, the Cavs could not close the show.
What’s Next:
Cleveland plays the second half of a back-to-back as they host the Pacers on Saturday night.
Best of the Rest:
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 34 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Dort added 25 points and six rebounds.
Isaac Okoro added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Cavs; Dean Wade made his season debut and got the start; he added eight points, five rebounds, and two steals.
The Cavs(30-21) finished their three-game road trip in OKC against the Thunder(24-25) on Friday night. Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell(groin), Ricky Rubio(rest), and Kevin Love(back) and was on a second half of a back-to-back after their win over the Rockets in Houston on Thursday night.
Cleveland led early but faded late and fell to the Thunder 112-100 at Paycom Center.
The Cavs finished their three-game road trip 1-2.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Thunder.
The Great:
Darius Garland led the Cavs with 31 points and 13 assists. 23 of his 31 points came in the second half.
Evan Mobley had another strong performance with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks. This was Mobley’s second straight 20-10 game, and Mobley grabbed his 1,000th career rebound on Friday night.
Not So Great:
Caris LeVert was 1/12 from the field, including 0/6 from deep; he finished with two points and nine assists. Without Mitchell, the Cavs needed LeVert to be better.
Second Half: Cleveland led 54-47 at halftime, but they were outscored 65-46 in the second half. OKC shot 59% from the field in that second half and 7/11 from deep, and they closed the game the right way. Conversely, the Cavs shot 39% from the field.
Bottom Line:
No Mitchell, no Love, and no Rubio, and the Cavs just ran out of gas in the second half of a back-to-back. The Cavs did not have the energy to hold OKC off.
However, this is not a bad loss. You’re without your best player on a back-to-back against a solid Thunder team on the road, so the loss is excusable.
The Cavs are a very good team, but their road woes(10-16) prevent them from being great.
What’s Next:
Cleveland returns home on Sunday to face the Los Angeles Clippers.
Best of the Rest:
-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Jalen Williams added 17 points, including 3/3 from deep; Josh Giddey chipped in with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
-Jarrett Allen had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers.
