NBA: All-star votes rolling in for VanVleet

Fred VanVleet has joined Raptors teammates Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry on the list of top vote-getters for next month’s NBA all-star game.

VanVleet, 25, was not included among the top 10 Eastern Conference guards when the league released the first returns of fan voting last week but he had jumped into the No. 10 spot by Thursday, with 351,391 votes as of the second returns.

He joins Lowry, a five-time all-star, who jumped from eighth to sixth among East guards with 567,896 votes. Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young (1,389,628) and Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving (1,351,997) lead the pack among East backcourt candidates.

Siakam is still third among East frontcourt options, with 1,730,763 votes, behind Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (3,259,383) and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (1,784,211). Siakam is more than 330,000 votes ahead of Miami’s Jimmy Butler.

An all-star nod for VanVleet or Siakam would be a first for either player.

VanVleet suffered a hamstring injury last weekend against the Nets that could affect his status for the mid-season showcase event, though he is currently averaging 18 points, seven assists and 1.9 steals a night. Siakam has not played a game since suffering a stretched groin in a Dec. 18 game against Detroit, but had put up all-star calibre numbers before the injury, averaging 25.1 points, eight rebounds and 3.6 assists a night.

Lowry is getting hot at the right time, averaging 23.3 points and eight assists over the past 11 games despite Toronto’s rabid injury crisis.

The 10 all-star game starters will be selected by a combination of fans, current players and basketball media.

Voting will conclude on Jan. 20. The all-star game will be played in Chicago on Feb. 16.