Porzingis, Lowry, Love headline East All-Star reserves
The NBA announced Tuesday that Kyle Lowry, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, Kevin Love, Al Horford, and Victor Oladipo have been named Eastern Conference All-Star reserves.
The seven reserves join starters LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid as the East's 12 representatives for the Feb. 18 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, where, for the first time, team captains James and Stephen Curry will draft All-Star rosters, as opposed to the usual East vs. West format.
Related: Butler, Green, Lillard headline West All-Star reserves
Lowry is an All-Star for the fourth year in a row, joining his Toronto Raptors teammate DeRozan. In his 12th season in the Association, and sixth north of the border, Lowry is averaging 17 points, six rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 33 minutes.
Beal is a first-time All-Star, while Wall makes it for the fifth consecutive year. This is the first time since 2008 that the Washington Wizards will have multiple All-Stars, with the last being Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.
Speaking of first-time All-Stars, Porzingis will also be competing in the midseason exhibition for the first time. His New York Knicks are out of the playoff picture with a 21-26 record, but the Unicorn is mustering a career-high 23.3 points to go along with his 6.7 boards and league-best 2.3 rejections.
Love, on the other hand, is no stranger to the All-Star Game, as this marks his fifth nod and second as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Horford is also a five-time All-Star. The 31-year-old is widely considered the best defensive player on the best defensive team. The 34-13 Boston Celtics also score 10.8 more points per 100 possessions with Horford on the floor.
Oladipo has been one of the pleasant surprises of the seasons, taking on a lead role for the Indiana Pacers and putting up 24.2 points per game (8.3 more than last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder) on 48.4 percent shooting from the field. This is his first All-Star selection since going second overall in 2013.
The All-Star team rosters will be revealed Thursday, Jan. 25.