LeBron James has been ever-present for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but his streak will come to an end in the upcoming game against the Sacramento Kings.

According to multiple reports, James is currently dealing with a left ankle sprain and didn’t even make the trip with his teammates to Sacramento. The injury, however, isn’t expected to affect the 36-year-old superstar’s appearance in the All-Star game in Atlanta over the weekend.

The news comes after James was listed as questionable in Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. He ended up playing, however, and spent a game-high 38 minutes on the floor while scoring 38 points in a 104-114 loss.

James had been reportedly experiencing issues with his ankle earlier in the season, but the discomfort wasn’t so bad that he had to sit out games.

After missing out on the MVP honors last season, LeBron James is considered to the favorite for the award in 2020-21. He is having an excellent individual season, currently averaging 25.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game.

James’s stellar performances are also key in the Lakers’ efforts to stay in the top three in the Western Conference. They are currently at a 24-13 record and 3.5 games behind the leading Utah Jazz despite a prolonged absence of some of their key players like superstar Anthony Davis.

The post LeBron James Has an Ankle Sprain But Expected to Play in the All-Star Game appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant won’t be able to participate in this year’s All-Star Game. Durant, who was set to captain the East team, is dealing with a strained hamstring, according to the official announcement, and is set to be out around two weeks.

Durant will be replaced on the Eastern Conference pool of All-Stars by Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis.

The All-Star invite for Sabonis, which is his second in a row, isn’t a surprise considering he has been averaging a career-high 21.4 points and 5.9 assists to go with 11.4 rebounds so far this season.

The NBA also announced that the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was named a starter in this year’s All-Star game. Tatum was initially supposed to be a reserve, but will now take Durant’s place in the starting five.

Despite his absence off the court, Kevin Durant will keep his captain duties. He will get to draft his team that will be facing off against LeBron James from the All-Star pool, although it remains to be seen whether the 32-year-old star will actually make the trip to Atlanta and be present at State Farm Arena.

Durant strained his hamstring in early February and has since missed nine games. He is currently averaging 29 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game for the No. 2-seeded Brooklyn Nets.

The post Kevin Durant Won’t Play in All-Star Game, Pacers’ Domantas Sabonis to Replace Him appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The NBA revealed the reserves for this year’s All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday with the Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons, and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell headlining the list.

The All-Star reserves were selected by the head coaches of the NBA teams. Each coach picked seven All-Stars from the East and seven All-Stars from the West, with the top vote-getters making the cut.

Besides Harden and Simmons, the pool of All-Star reserves from the Eastern Conference also has the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle, and the Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic.

The Nets’ Kevin Durant was previously selected as the captain of the East, with the Nets’ Kyrie Irving, the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the 76ers’ Joel Embiid taking the starters spots.

In the West, Mitchell will be joined by his Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert, the Lakers’ Anthony Davis, the LA Clippers’ Paul George, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson.

The Lakers’ LeBron James will captain the West, with Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), and Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) being in the starters pool as well.

James’ team will be coached by Quin Snyder, whose Utah Jazz is currently first in the Western Conference with a 25-6 record. The Philadelphia 76ers’ Doc Rivers will be the head coach of Durant’s team.

The 2021 All-Star game will take place on March 7th in the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena.

The post James Harden, Ben Simmons, and Donovan Mitchell Among All-Star Reserves appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The voting for this year’s NBA All-Star game wrapped up this week, and the league officially named starters for each conference on Thursday.

On the Western Conference end, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James received the most votes and was named the captain. The starters also will include the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, and the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry.

The captain from the Eastern Conference will be the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant. He will be joined by his Nets’ teammate Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) in the East’s pool of starters.

Fourteen more players will make the All-Star team as reserves. They will be selected by head coaches of the NBA teams, who are set to cast their votes by the end of the week. Each coach will have an opportunity to make seven selections from the Western Conference and seven selections from the Eastern Conference.

James and Durant will get to pick their teams from the pool of starters and reserves via draft on March 4th.

This year’s NBA All-Star Game is scheduled to take place in Atlanta on March 7th. Both the game and other competitions will take place on the same night.

The post NBA Announces All-Star Starters, LeBron James and Kevin Durant Named Captains appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It appears that this year’s NBA All-Star festivities will go beyond virtual reality despite the coronavirus pandemic.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA and Players Association are closing in on an agreement that would see the 2021 All-Star Game taking place in Atlanta on March 7th. Besides the game between West and East All-Stars, the single-night event will also include skills competitions.

The overall plan for the All-Star game is already in place, but the NBA and players union are currently working out the finer details. This includes safety and health protocols, transportation, and other requirements.

Players that don’t get to be part of the All-Star festivities will be able to travel inside the United States during the break, but won’t be allowed to leave the country. They also need to re-join their teams at least two days before they are scheduled to resume the regular season.

The league and the union are optimistic about the event, although some of the top players in the league already expressed their displeasure with the news. This includes LA Lakers superstar LeBron James, who called the event “a slap in the face” in a chat with reporters on Thursday night.

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” said James. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star Game.”

The post NBA Plans to Host the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta in March appeared first on SportzBonanza.

LeBron James has been ever-present for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but his streak will come to an end in the upcoming game against the Sacramento Kings.

According to multiple reports, James is currently dealing with a left ankle sprain and didn’t even make the trip with his teammates to Sacramento. The injury, however, isn’t expected to affect the 36-year-old superstar’s appearance in the All-Star game in Atlanta over the weekend.

The news comes after James was listed as questionable in Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. He ended up playing, however, and spent a game-high 38 minutes on the floor while scoring 38 points in a 104-114 loss.

James had been reportedly experiencing issues with his ankle earlier in the season, but the discomfort wasn’t so bad that he had to sit out games.

After missing out on the MVP honors last season, LeBron James is considered to the favorite for the award in 2020-21. He is having an excellent individual season, currently averaging 25.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game.

James’s stellar performances are also key in the Lakers’ efforts to stay in the top three in the Western Conference. They are currently at a 24-13 record and 3.5 games behind the leading Utah Jazz despite a prolonged absence of some of their key players like superstar Anthony Davis.

The post LeBron James Has an Ankle Sprain But Expected to Play in the All-Star Game appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant won’t be able to participate in this year’s All-Star Game. Durant, who was set to captain the East team, is dealing with a strained hamstring, according to the official announcement, and is set to be out around two weeks.

Durant will be replaced on the Eastern Conference pool of All-Stars by Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis.

The All-Star invite for Sabonis, which is his second in a row, isn’t a surprise considering he has been averaging a career-high 21.4 points and 5.9 assists to go with 11.4 rebounds so far this season.

The NBA also announced that the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was named a starter in this year’s All-Star game. Tatum was initially supposed to be a reserve, but will now take Durant’s place in the starting five.

Despite his absence off the court, Kevin Durant will keep his captain duties. He will get to draft his team that will be facing off against LeBron James from the All-Star pool, although it remains to be seen whether the 32-year-old star will actually make the trip to Atlanta and be present at State Farm Arena.

Durant strained his hamstring in early February and has since missed nine games. He is currently averaging 29 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game for the No. 2-seeded Brooklyn Nets.

The post Kevin Durant Won’t Play in All-Star Game, Pacers’ Domantas Sabonis to Replace Him appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The NBA revealed the reserves for this year’s All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday with the Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons, and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell headlining the list.

The All-Star reserves were selected by the head coaches of the NBA teams. Each coach picked seven All-Stars from the East and seven All-Stars from the West, with the top vote-getters making the cut.

Besides Harden and Simmons, the pool of All-Star reserves from the Eastern Conference also has the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle, and the Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic.

The Nets’ Kevin Durant was previously selected as the captain of the East, with the Nets’ Kyrie Irving, the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the 76ers’ Joel Embiid taking the starters spots.

In the West, Mitchell will be joined by his Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert, the Lakers’ Anthony Davis, the LA Clippers’ Paul George, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson.

The Lakers’ LeBron James will captain the West, with Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), and Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) being in the starters pool as well.

James’ team will be coached by Quin Snyder, whose Utah Jazz is currently first in the Western Conference with a 25-6 record. The Philadelphia 76ers’ Doc Rivers will be the head coach of Durant’s team.

The 2021 All-Star game will take place on March 7th in the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena.

The post James Harden, Ben Simmons, and Donovan Mitchell Among All-Star Reserves appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The voting for this year’s NBA All-Star game wrapped up this week, and the league officially named starters for each conference on Thursday.

On the Western Conference end, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James received the most votes and was named the captain. The starters also will include the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, and the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry.

The captain from the Eastern Conference will be the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant. He will be joined by his Nets’ teammate Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) in the East’s pool of starters.

Fourteen more players will make the All-Star team as reserves. They will be selected by head coaches of the NBA teams, who are set to cast their votes by the end of the week. Each coach will have an opportunity to make seven selections from the Western Conference and seven selections from the Eastern Conference.

James and Durant will get to pick their teams from the pool of starters and reserves via draft on March 4th.

This year’s NBA All-Star Game is scheduled to take place in Atlanta on March 7th. Both the game and other competitions will take place on the same night.

The post NBA Announces All-Star Starters, LeBron James and Kevin Durant Named Captains appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It appears that this year’s NBA All-Star festivities will go beyond virtual reality despite the coronavirus pandemic.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA and Players Association are closing in on an agreement that would see the 2021 All-Star Game taking place in Atlanta on March 7th. Besides the game between West and East All-Stars, the single-night event will also include skills competitions.

The overall plan for the All-Star game is already in place, but the NBA and players union are currently working out the finer details. This includes safety and health protocols, transportation, and other requirements.

Players that don’t get to be part of the All-Star festivities will be able to travel inside the United States during the break, but won’t be allowed to leave the country. They also need to re-join their teams at least two days before they are scheduled to resume the regular season.

The league and the union are optimistic about the event, although some of the top players in the league already expressed their displeasure with the news. This includes LA Lakers superstar LeBron James, who called the event “a slap in the face” in a chat with reporters on Thursday night.

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” said James. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star Game.”

The post NBA Plans to Host the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta in March appeared first on SportzBonanza.