NBA All-Star Game roster 2017: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant lead the West All-Star starting five

The Western Conference All-Star starters are mostly the same players you’ve grown accustom to seeing throughout the past few years.

Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kawhi Leonard all return from starting in last year’s game. For Durant, this is his eighth All-Star appearance, with six of them coming in the starting lineup. (He was a reserve in 2010 and 2015.)

Anthony Davis and James Harden are both making their first All-Star starter appearance. Davis has three prior appearances as a reserve, while Harden tops him with four appearances coming off the All-Star bench.

Notably, Russell Westbrook missed the starting five, after making it last season. Kobe Bryant’s retirement also means he won’t be available to claim his usual spot.

GUARD: Stephen Curry

GUARD: James Harden

FRONTCOURT: Kevin Durant

FRONTCOURT: Kawhi Leonard

FRONTCOURT: Anthony Davis

Despite his Warriors adding another MVP-caliber player in Kevin Durant, Curry has continued to thrive as the NBA’s most feared perimeter sniper. While the two-time MVP has seen his numbers slip from his 30-point average a season ago, Curry is still as deadly a scorer the league has to offer. His three-point shooting is also at a career-low — if you consider 39.7 percent from downtown a drop-off — but Golden State’s floor general is still the integral piece to a roster competing for a championship in June.

Despite Russell Westbrook’s triple-double rampage, it’s James Harden who’s emerged as the mid-season front-runner for Most Valuable Player of the Year honors. Harden has been a maestro in new Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense, complementing his already unmatched arsenal of offensive attacks with a career- and league-best 11.6 assists per game. Even better, he’s playing at a level that’s catapulted his Houston squad into the third seed in the West behind just Golden State and San Antonio.

Durant hasn’t even fully settled into the Warriors’ offensive scheme, yet he leads Golden State in points (26.2) and rebounds (8.6) per game, with a team-high player efficiency rating (28.00). He’s been even better on the defensive end, posting some of his best numbers on that side of the ball. But outside the stats, Durant looks free. He scored 40 points on just 16 shots in Golden State’s win over Oklahoma City. And as KD continues to find his way with the Warriors’ superstar lineup, the team will make yet another run at an NBA title.

The spotlight might be focused on Golden State’s star-studded cast, but the Spurs remain the only other team with a single-digit loss column. Their sustained dominance is powered by Leonard, who’s emerged this season as a super scorer and a dangerous closer for Gregg Popovich. The Spurs forward is just a hair shy of the 50-40-90 club, shooting .488 from the field, .415 from three, and .907 from the charity stripe. It’s Leonard’s efficiency and effort on both ends of the floor that has San Antonio neck-and-neck with the Goliath Warriors in the West.

The Pelicans have been ravaged by injury, but Anthony Davis has remained the bright spot for a promising franchise missing just a few pieces to make the jump. New Orleans may boast just a 17-26 record, but AD’s 28.8 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game set him aside as the league’s most dominant interior presence on both ends of the floor. He’s become a serviceable three-point shooter from the corner and is continuing to improve his range, but Davis’ impact on the game has landed him among the league’s best.

West backcourt

West frontcourt