Harden, Lillard headline All-Star reserves, Zion lands 1st nod

Zion Williamson will appear in his first All-Star Game as the New Orleans Pelicans star was named among the 14 reserves Tuesday as selected by NBA coaches.

Williamson joins four first-time All-Stars for the March 7 event, including Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, and New York Knicks forward Julius Randle.

Eastern Conference

Randle represents the Knicks' first All-Star since Kristaps Porzingis was selected in 2018. He's only the fifth different player from the franchise to make the All-Star Game in the last 10 years, a list that also contains Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Porzingis.

Western Conference

With his 11th nomination, Paul will be tied with captain Kevin Durant as the second-most frequent All-Star at the event. Only LeBron James, the other captain, has more nominations with 17.

The Western Conference could be forced to make a change due to Davis' injury. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel revealed Friday that the big man would miss four weeks due to an Achilles issue and calf strain. If an injury replacement is necessary, NBA commissioner Adam Silver chooses which player in the conference substitutes Davis.

The All-Star starters were announced Thursday. As captains, James and Durant will pick among Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, Nikola Jokic, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry, and Luka Doncic for their respective starting lineups. They will then move on to the reserves to fill out their benches.

James and Durant will draft their sides on March 4 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.