A nice bit of (somewhat expected) news hit the wire tonight: Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard has been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves:
Lillard got off to a very hot start in early voting before tapering off while Jalen Brunson in particular ascended with the Knicks sustained success. Between Dame’s numbers on the season and staying power as a household name for basketball fans and players alike, he was a strong contender to get across the line for a ticket to San Francisco. It probably helped that he was name All-Star MVP in the 2024 game scoring 39 points (14-26 overall, 11-23 from three) with six assists.