Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic, named an All-Star for the first time on Thursday, leads his team against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
The Sixers feature rookie Ben Simmons, who had hoped to make the Feb. 18 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. He will instead play in the Rising Stars Challenge (as will teammates Joel Embiid and Dario Saric), and on Thursday he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January.
Dragic, a 31-year-old guard in his 10th season, was named an injury replacement for Cleveland Cavaliers center/forward Kevin Love, who broke a hand on Tuesday.