Sixers’ Joel Embiid slips to fourth in East in NBA All-Star Game voting

Joel Embiid dropped one spot to fourth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in fan balloting for the NBA All-Star Game after the second round of returns were released Thursday.

His 76ers teammate, James Harden, remains third among the conference’s guards in voting by the fans.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward and four-time MVP LeBron James is the league’s top vote-getter with 4,825,229 votes, while Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant leads the East with 4,509,238.

Fans account for 50% of the votes to determine the 10 starters for the NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. A selected media panel and current NBA players will each account for 25% of the vote. The voters must pick two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference on their ballots. Voting concludes at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 21.

The third returns will be shared next Thursday. TNT will reveal the All-Star Game’s starters, including the two team captains, on Jan. 26. The network will also announce the All-Star reserves on Feb. 2.

The top three frontcourt and top two backcourt vote-getters in each conference will make up the 10 All-Star starters. The reserves are selected by league coaches.

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The East’s top three frontcourt vote-getters are Durant, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (4,467,306) and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (3,281,124). Embiid (3,248,733) is a close fourth.

The Nets’ Kyrie Irving (3,024,833), Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, (2,725,558), Harden (1,571,039), and Boston’s Jaylen Brown (1,512-332) are the conference’s four leading guards.

Embiid was voted a starter in the last five NBA All-Star Games.