Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press The 2019 NBA All-Star voting results haven't changed much in the past seven days as the same three players still lead the pack. Per the latest update from the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James leads all players with about 2.78 million votes. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is a close second with 2.67 million votes, followed by Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics (2.38 million). The most notable change from the first round of voting is that Paul George (1.86 million votes) moved up two spots to No. 3 in the Western Conference frontcourt. George trailed Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis on the initial list. The Oklahoma City Thunder forward picked up nearly 1.28 million votes in the past seven days to take a comfortable lead over Durant (1.72 million). Despite carrying the Houston Rockets to 12 wins in their past 15 games with an average of 39.5 points and 9.0 assists during this stretch, James Harden (1.67 million) has fallen further behind Derrick Rose (1.99 million) in the race for the No. 2 guard spot in the West. Rose's lead has essentially doubled from 156,480 last week to 312,180 votes in the second update. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard has missed the last six games with an ankle injury but is expected back Friday. Fans still have 11 days to help their favorite players secure a spot on the 2019 NBA All-Star roster before voting closes Jan. 21 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Starters and team captains will be revealed three days later, and the rosters for both teams will be drafted at a date to be determined.<doc-sep>16 of 17 Zach Beeker/Getty Images Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder 2018-19 Per-Game Stats: 26.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.7 blocks, 45.4 percent shooting Advanced Metrics: 24.1 PER, 161.35 TPA, 7.21 RPM Career All-Star Selections: 7 Paul George is playing his way onto the fringes of the MVP discussion. Russell Westbrook is surrendering shots to him for crying out loud. And the Thunder are firmly entrenched in the West's "Best Team That Isn't The Warriors" discussion. George is scoring more than ever and seeing extra time as a half-court initiator (h/t Westbrook's ankle and knee injuries) without making wholesale tweaks to his style. His offense is mostly plug-and-play, mixed with just the right amount of "Hey, I'm a superhero, too" attack mode. Feel free to pencil him in as one of the few Defensive Player of the Year frontrunners. Oklahoma City ranks second in points allowed per 100 possessions despite missing Andre Roberson, and George is melding Jimmy Butler's suffocating one-on-one approach with more in-tune team defense. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets 2018-19 Per-Game Stats: 18.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.7 blocks, 48.5 percent shooting Advanced Metrics: 25.5 PER, 179.90 TPA, 6.93 RPM Career All-Star Selections: 0 Finally, and emphatically, the "Nikola Jokic isn't a real star" slants are set to fade into where they've always belonged: nothingness. High-volume diehards will eternally revel in his nights with single-digit field-goal attempts. Which is to say, they no longer have anything to revel in. Jokic is averaging 15.8 shots per game since his 0-of-1 disasterpiece against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 7. His three-point efficiency has tailed off, but he's making up for it with a few bonus drives and more aggressive stands around the rim. Denver's offensive heart and soul still rest within him. Jokic's defensive improvement is finally beyond early-season disclaimers. Aspects of his value remain contingent upon Paul Millsap, who is recovering from a broken toe. But Jokic is making smarter reads around the basket and rarely mirroring Bambi on ice when dragged onto the perimeter or moving within some of Denver's more attacking pick-and-roll coverages. If you're in the business of building an MVP list for the non-Giannis Antetokounmpo, non-Anthony Davis, non-LeBron James division, Jokic needs to be on it. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves 2018-19 Per-Game Stats: 20.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.7 blocks, 48.3 percent shooting Advanced Metrics: 21.5 PER, 84.40 TPA, 1.40 RPM Career All-Star Selections: 1 Karl-Anthony Towns is a new player following the Butler trade. His usage rate has jumped from 24.7 to 27.4, and he's less inclined to disappear for quarters or an entire game at a time. His outside clip has dipped, but he's so nimble on his feet, both in the post and from above the break, that he doesn't need to be more than a league-average shooter—even though he's way better than that. The Timberwolves need more out of Towns on the less glamorous end, and they're starting to get it. Having Robert Covington and Dario Saric has enabled them to switch, albeit not as much as they probably should, and Towns is inching closer to a happy medium with more quality team defenders around him. "Not only have the Wolves defensive numbers seen a positive progression, the defensive work as a group is also showing up on the tape," Zone Coverage's Dane Moore wrote. "It's Covington and Towns at the head of the snake but the other pieces are breaking the status quo as well. Namely, Saric has been a positive cog in the second step of pick-and-roll defense: the tag." Already one of the best offensive bigs in league history, any iteration of Towns that includes passable defensive work ethic is an all-time problem and worth keeping tabs on in the top-10-player discussion.<doc-sep>NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2019 – The Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo have expanded their conference leads in the second fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2019 presented by Google. Fans account for 50 percent of the vote to determine the 10 starters for the 68th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT. All current NBA players and a media panel each account for 25 percent of the vote, with those voters completing one full ballot featuring two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference. Players may vote for their teammates or themselves. Voting for fans, players and media will conclude on Monday, Jan. 21 at 11:59 p.m. ET. VOTE PACERS NOW » In the second fan returns, James leads all players with 2,779,812 votes to maintain the top spot in the Western Conference frontcourt. Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Dončić (2,220,077) continues to rank second in the West frontcourt and has climbed to second among all West players. The Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George (1,859,216) has moved up to third place in the West frontcourt, followed by the Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant (1,717,968) in fourth place and the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis (1,564,347) in fifth place. Golden State's Stephen Curry (2,094,158) has increased his lead among West guards, while the Minnesota Timberwolves' Derrick Rose (1,986,840) remains in second place. The Houston Rockets' James Harden (1,674,660) and Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (1,494,382) are still in third and fourth place, respectively. In the Eastern Conference, Antetokounmpo (2,670,816) has strengthened his position as the leading vote-getter. The top three players in the East frontcourt are unchanged, with Antetokounmpo joined by the Toronto Raptors' Kawhi Leonard (2,092,806) in second place and the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid (1,710,229) in third place. The East guard group is again led by the Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving (2,381,901) and the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (1,199,789). The Charlotte Hornets' Kemba Walker (858,798) continues to hold third place, while Philadelphia's Ben Simmons (695,032) remains in fourth place. The 2019 NBA All-Star Game will follow last year's format: The two team captains will draft rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference, making their picks regardless of conference affiliation. The captains will be the All-Star starter from each conference who receives the most fan votes in his conference. Details about the NBA All-Star Draft will be announced at a later date. TNT will reveal the NBA All-Star Game starters, including the two captains, on Thursday, Jan. 24 during TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader, featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith. The network will announce the reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, on Thursday, Jan. 31 during TNT NBA Tip-Off. NBA ALL-STAR VOTING 2019 PRESENTED BY GOOGLE: SECOND FAN RETURNS Western Conference Eastern Conference Guards 1. Kyrie Irving (BOS) 2,381,901 2. Dwyane Wade (MIA) 1,199,789 3. Kemba Walker (CHA) 858,798 4. Ben Simmons (PHI) 695,032 5. Victor Oladipo (IND) 567,893 6. Kyle Lowry (TOR) 488,825 7. Zach LaVine (CHI) 330,504 8. Jeremy Lin (ATL) 200,648 9. Goran Dragić (MIA) 191,541 10. Bradley Beal (WAS) 168,137 Frontcourt 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 2,670,816 2. Kawhi Leonard (TOR) 2,092,806 3. Joel Embiid (PHI) 1,710,229 4. Jayson Tatum (BOS) 599,289 5. Jimmy Butler (PHI) 569,354 6. Blake Griffin (DET) 500,072 7. Vince Carter (ATL) 273,719 8. Gordon Hayward (BOS) 237,813 9. Pascal Siakam (TOR) 206,290 10. Al Horford (BOS) 199,474 Western Conference Guards 1. Stephen Curry (GSW) 2,094,158 2. Derrick Rose (MIN) 1,986,840 3. James Harden (HOU) 1,674,660 4. Russell Westbrook (OKC) 1,494,382 5. Klay Thompson (GSW) 706,960 6. Damian Lillard (POR) 610,839 7. DeMar DeRozan (SAS) 594,012 8. Lonzo Ball (LAL) 529,164 9. Devin Booker (PHO) 310,944 10. Chris Paul (HOU) 306,808<doc-sep>
Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Luka Doncic would be three of the starters in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game based on the second fan vote returns. The second fan vote returns of the 2019 NBA All-Star Game were released on Thursday. Don't forget that the fan vote only accounts for 50% of how the All-Star starters are determined. The other 50% comes from the players and media. MORE: How to vote for the All-Star Game With that in mind, here are some takeaways from these results. The returns The second returns of #NBAAllStar Voting 2019 presented by @Google! Vote on https://t.co/R6fBO5LSAS, the NBA App or by searching for your favorite player or team on Google. Vote now! https://t.co/7WGNCNxnJB pic.twitter.com/akz3wREzFM - 2019 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) January 10, 2019 The top overall vote-getters 1. LeBron James (LAL) - 2,779,812 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) - 2,670,816 3. Kyrie Irving (BOS) - 2,381,901 4. Luka Dončić (DAL) - 2,220,077 5. Stephen Curry (GSW) - 2,094,158 6. Kawhi Leonard (TOR) - 2,092,806 7. Derrick Rose (MIN) - 1,986,840 8. Paul George (OKC) - 1,859,216 9. Kevin Durant (GSW) - 1,717,968 10. Joel Embiid (PHI) - 1,710,229 MORE: Jokic deserves more attention for the season he's having Starters today if only the fans decided Western Conference Eastern Conference Guard - Stephen Curry Guard - Kyrie Irving Guard - Derrick Rose Guard - Dwyane Wade Forward - LeBron James Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo Forward - Luka Doncic Forward - Kawhi Leonard Forward - Paul George Forward - Joel Embiid Other takeaways LeBron James leads all players in total votes. This would be the third straight year he's led in voting. The only players to lead All-Star voting in three straight years are Michael Jordan, Julius Erving and Vince Carter. Luka Doncic is second in voting in the West and fourth overall behind LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kyrie Irving. Could he catch them by the time voting ends? The last rookie to lead all players in All-Star voting was Grant Hill in 1995. Derrick Rose remains second behind Stephen Curry among Western Conference guards, as he was in the first release. He's doubled his lead over third-place James Harden as he's now more than 312,000 votes ahead of him, up from a lead of 156,000. The Toronto Raptors are well represented in the voting, with Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam each being in the top-10 of voting at their position. MORE: Should Siakam be an All-Star? Paul George has overtaken Kevin Durant in frontcourt voting in the Western Conference. Only Luka Doncic and LeBron James have more votes than the Oklahoma City Thunder forward. Vince Carter continues to get votes. He's received nearly 200,000 more since the first fan vote returns. MORE: Win a trip to All-Star 2019