2021 NBA All-Star game: Start time, players, how to watch and stream

While the NBA has been forced to hold a fanless All-Star game due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, at least they had the good sense to stick with the rules that powered last year’s thrilling matchup.

That includes an untimed fourth quarter, when teams led by All-Star team captains Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets (who won’t play due to a hamstring injury) and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers will race to be the first to reach a “final target score,” determined by taking the leading team’s cumulative score through three quarters and adding 24 points (a nod to Kobe Bryant).

The so-called Elam Ending, adapted from suggestions made by Ball State University professor Nick Elam, led to what might have been the most thrilling fourth quarter in NBA All-Star game history. It transformed a normally boring display of empty offense into a tense pick-up game involving the 10 best basketball players on the planet, with James and his teammates coming from behind to win 157-155.

“I didn’t know what to expect because it was a new format, new year. None of us knew what to expect,” James told reporters last year after the game. “But throughout the whole fourth quarter and at the end of the game, everybody was like, ‘That was pretty damn fun.’”

For Philadelphia fans tuning in, two Sixers players were expected on the court tonight: Center Joel Embiid, who was the second player selected by Durant, and point guard Ben Simmons, once again was picked by James after being named an All-Star reserve player for the third straight year.

Instead, neither will play after both came in contact with a barber in Philadelphia who tested positive for COVID-19. Embiid will be replaced in the starting lineup by New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream this year’s NBA All-Star game:

» READ MORE: Simmons, Embiid out of NBA All-Star Game due to COVID-19 tracing

The 2021 NBA All-Star game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern, and will air live on TNT from the State Farm Arena in Georgia, the home of the Atlanta Hawks. The game will also be simulcast on TBS.

The All-Star game will stream live on TNT’s website, though it’s only available there for cable subscribers. It will also stream live on NBA League Pass, though the subscription service is hardly worth it for Sixers fans in the Philadelphia market due to its blackout rules.

The game can also be streamed on a host of services, including Fubo TV (free 7-day trial), Hulu With Live TV, AT&T TV, Sling TV or YouTube TV.

Longtime announcer Marv Albert will handle play-by-play duties, calling his 25th NBA All-Star game. Former NBA stars turned broadcasters Reggie Miller and Chris Webber will offer analysis, while Allie LaForce will offer reports from the court.

» READ MORE: Mike Sielski: Savor Joel Embiid’s performance for the Sixers. And don’t forget the process that led to it.

Last year, the NBA made two main rules changes that made the often-mocked exhibition game a lot more interesting:

1. Every quarter counts: Each quarter will start tied 0-0, and the team with the highest score after each 12-minute quarter will donate $100,000 to its designated Chicago-based charity. If the first or second quarter ends in a tie, the prize will be added to the next quarter’s pot. If the third quarter ends in a tie, the prize money goes to the team that wins the game.

The winning team will earn $200,000 for its designated community organization, and if one team wins every quarter and the game, $500,000 will be donated to the winning team’s charity and $100,000 will be donated to the losing team’s charity.

2. Untimed fourth quarter: The game clock will be turned off at the start of the fourth quarter, and the two teams will race to be the first to reach a “final target score” determined by adding 24 points to the leading team’s cumulative score through the first three quarters.

Confused? Here’s an example: If the leading team has scored a cumulative total of 100 points after three quarters, the “final target score” needed to win would be 124 points (100 + 24). In that example, the first team to score a cumulative total of 124 points would win the game.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ heavy presence at NBA All-Star Game signifies growth team has made since last season

Thanks to COVID-19, the NBA’s traditional All-Star Weekend has been compressed into one evening of basketball action. Instead of throwing down on Saturday night, the annual Slam Dunk competition will instead occur at halftime of tonight’s game.

This year’s competition will definitely lack star power. Just three players have agreed to participate: Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers, Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers, and Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson flirted with entering the competition, but has reportedly ruled it out, though he will still be on the court during tonight’s All-Star Game

Here’s a complete schedule of all the action tonight (all times are Eastern):

Team Durant

Team LeBron