Game or no game, NBA All-Star voting starts Thursday
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)NBA All-Star voting opens Thursday, without any final determination yet if there will be an actual All-Star Game this season. The league said Wednesday that “discussions surrounding a potential NBA All-Star Game are ongoing.” The Associated Press reported Monday that there have been talks about having an All-Star Game that would benefit historically Black institutions and COVID-19 relief, though no plan has been finalized. But the league also wants players worthy of being named All-Stars this season to get their due, whether the game is played or not. The All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be revealed on Feb. 23. It’s also unknown if the game would have the same format as a year ago, when the NBA changed the rules to make the game much more competitive.
Irving returns, but new-look Nets beaten by Cavs in 2 OTs
Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving (11) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Taurean Prince (12) during double overtime of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Cleveland. Sexton scored 15 points in the second OT — most of them over Irving — for the Cavs, who outplayed the Nets all night. Before the game, Nets first-year coach Steve Nash admitted being “curious” about how his trio of superstars would align on the floor. In the second quarter, Sexton ran back on defense and cleanly flicked the ball away from Durant as he was going in on a breakaway dunk. Irving's return to the Nets was also just his second game in Cleveland since he was traded by the Cavs after the 2017 season.