D’Antoni & Co. will see stars

NEW ORLEANS — Mike D’Antoni and the Rockets coaching staff will represent the Western Conference coaches in the All-Star Game, coaching the Stephen Curry team, including James Harden, in Los Angeles on Feb. 18.

With the Spurs’ loss to the 76ers on Friday, the Rockets are assured of having at least the secondbest record in the Western Conference on Feb. 4, the date the coaching staffs are determined. Steve Kerr and the Warriors coaches are not eligible after coaching the Western Conference All-Stars last season.

It will be D’Antoni’s second time coaching in the All-Star Game, having been the Western Conference coach in 2007 when he had three Suns players — Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion — on the team.

It will be the second time for a Rockets coach, with Rudy Tomjanovich guiding the Western Conference team in 1997.

“It’s something that’s fun,” D’Antoni said. “It’s something that if you are a coach and you ever get a chance to experience as an NBA coach, I think everybody should, especially the assistant coaches. I’d get more joy out of that (having Jeff Bzdelik, Roy Rogers and Brett Gunning with him) than anything. They make all this work. People would see what I experience every day.”

The Rockets are 34-13, the second-best record in franchise history through 47 games. They trail the Warriors by four games for the best record in the NBA.