James, Curry are captains for showcase
Stars to pick teams for Feb. 18 All-Star game in Los Angeles
NEW YORK — Team LeBron against Team Steph is the NBA’s new All-Star matchup.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry will go head-to-head again, this time as captains who pick teams for the revamped NBA All-Star Game.
James and Curry received the most votes from fans in their conferences Thursday night and will draft from a pool of the rest of the NBA’s best for next month’s game in Los Angeles. James will pick first as the one who received the most votes.
The format was changed from the traditional East vs. West matchup for the first time after lackluster games the last two seasons, when players made little attempt to defend.
James and Curry will make their first four picks from the pool of starters, but they don’t have to stick to conference affiliation in choosing their rosters.
The remainder of the starters from the Eastern Conference will be Boston’s Kyrie Irving, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Kevin Durant joins Curry from the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, while New Orleans also has two starters in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Houston guard James Harden rounds out the starters, who were selected by a combination of fan, media and player voting.
The reserves will be announced Tuesday. The rosters selected by James and Curry will be unveiled Jan. 26.
The game is set for Feb. 18 in Los Angeles.
Thursday night
CAVALIERS 104, MAGIC 103: In Cleveland, Isaiah Thomas made two free throws with 11 seconds left and Cleveland came up with a defensive stop in the frantic final seconds after blowing a 23-point lead to beat Orlando.
After Thomas made his shots, Orlando’s Elfrid Payton missed a contested layup with 3 seconds left. The officials ruled there was an inadvertent whistle and held a jump ball at midcourt.
Magic forward Aaron Gordon grabbed the toss and sank an apparent game-winning 45-footer as the horn sounded. But Gordon committed a jump-ball violation and Cleveland then only had to inbound the ball to come away with a win.
76ERS 89, CELTICS 80: In Boston, Joel Embiid scored 26 points and matched a career best with 16 rebounds, leading Philadelphia past Boston.
Boston played without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who rested a sore left shoulder.
TRAIL BLAZERS 100, PACERS 96: In Portland, Ore., Damian Lillard scored 26 points and had eight assists, and Jusuf Nurkic had 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds as Portland defeated Indiana.
C.J. McCollum added 16 points and Shabazz Napier 13 for the Blazers. ROCKETS 116, TIMBERWOLVES 98: In Houston, Eric Gordon scored 30 points to lead Houston past Minnesota.