Raptors' Lowry aided by late voting surge for 2nd straight year

Don't call it a comeback. He's been here for years - well, last year, at least.

For the second consecutive season, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry used a late voting push from hoops-mad Canadians to overtake a rival Eastern Conference guard for the final starting spot in the All-Star game.

Related: Eastern Conference All-Star starters announced

After overcoming a 100,000-vote deficit to surpass Dwyane Wade during the final round of balloting last year, Lowry overcame a 30,000-vote deficit to knock Kyrie Irving out of the running this time around.

"It is an honour to be voted as a starter for the All-Star Game, especially for one in my home arena," Lowry said of the Feb. 14 game in a team statement.

"I am thankful to all the great Raptors fans across Canada and throughout the NBA," added Lowry, who saw high-profile Canadians like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and hip hop superstar Drake go to bat for him.

Lowry, who arguably should be a three-time All-Star by now rather than a two-timer, is averaging 20.9 points, 6.5 assists, five rebounds, and 2.3 steals for the 27-15 Raptors, who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. He also ranks in the top seven in both ESPN's real plus-minus metric and Basketball Reference's win shares, while Irving has suited up for only 14 games following June knee surgery.