All-Star High Picks: Lillard (Reserves), Embiid (Starters)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Damian Lillard was the primary reserve taken by captain Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sunday within the All-Star Game draft, and Joel Embiid was the primary starter taken by fellow captain LeBron James for the matchup.

It was the sixth time captains selected their groups, however the first time that it was carried out simply minutes earlier than the All-Star Game.

The draft befell simply off the again of the courtroom, with James and Antetokounmpo on one degree of a stage and the opposite All-Stars who can be within the recreation seated behind them, ready to listen to once they’d be picked.

Once they heard their names, they descended down 5 stairs and have been handed their Team LeBron or Team Giannis jersey. The reserves have been chosen first, adopted by the starters.

“It’s taken me again to grade college, once you lined all people up throughout the free throw line and also you had two captains and also you picked,” James stated.

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He took a 5-0 file as a captain into the sport. Two of these 5 wins getting into Sunday have been towards groups captained by Antetokounmpo.

“We’re going to play onerous, and hopefully we are able to benefit from the recreation and attempt to take them down this time,” Antetokounmpo stated.

Antetokounmpo had a small pocket book with him for the draft, suggesting he’d carried out a greater than little little bit of homework and strategizing coming into the evening. James had his notes on a sheet of paper.

“It’s tissue,” James stated, as Antetokounmpo urged he’d like a have a look at these notes.

Antetokounmpo tried to take Memphis’ Ja Morant with the No. 5 decide within the reserve spherical, evidently forgetting that Morant was a starter and could be drafted later.

He wound up getting Morant anyway, with the No. 4 decide within the starters’ spherical. Morant went one decide earlier than Luka Doncic, the NBA’s main scorer this season taken by Team LeBron.

With Nikola Jokic — taking part in on his twenty eighth birthday — and Lauri Markkanen left on the stage because the final two picks, Jokic did not even watch for James to make his alternative. He merely walked towards James, who took the trace and chosen the two-time reigning MVP.

And that left Markkanen because the final decide, for Team Giannis.

Team Giannis: Damian Lillard (1), Jrue Holiday (3), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (5), DeMar DeRozan (7), Pascal Siakam (9), Bam Adebayo (11), Domantas Sabonis (13).

Team LeBron: Anthony Edwards (2), Jaylen Brown (4), Paul George (6), Tyrese Haliburton (8), Julius Randle (10), De’Aaron Fox (12), Jaren Jackson Jr. (14).

Team LeBron: Joel Embiid (1), Kyrie Irving (3), Luka Doncic (5), Nikola Jokic (7).

Team Giannis: Jayson Tatum (2), Ja Morant (4), Donovan Mitchell (6), Lauri Markkanen (8).

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