Celtics' Isaiah Thomas Not Among All-Star Starters
BOSTON (CBS) -- Isaiah Thomas made his first All-Star team last season, serving as a reserve for the Eastern Conference. This time around he had hoped to be on the court when the annual exhibition tips off.
But Thomas learned Thursday night he won't get his wish.
The Celtics guard was left out of the East starting five, finishing behind Cleveland's Kyrie Irving and Toronto's DeMar DeRozan, who will start in the backcourt. Thomas actually won the media vote, but DeRozan got the nod by way of fan and player voting.
The East starting lineup will also include Cleveland's LeBron James, Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Thomas has been Boston's MVP so far this season, averaging 10.1 points in the fourth quarter alone. He's scored 20 or more points in 26 straight games, a stretch that included a career-high 52 points against the Miami Heat back on January 30. Thomas scored a Celtics franchise record 29 points in the fourth quarter that night, leading Boston to a 117-114 victory.
His 28.7 points per game ranks first in the Eastern Conference, and third overall in the NBA.
The last time the Celtics had a player in the All-Star Game's starting lineup was in 2013, when both Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo started for the East.
In his first All-Star game last season, Thomas played 19 minutes and scored nine points off 4-of-11 shooting.
This year, for the first time, NBA players and media also took part in selecting the starting lineups. Fan voting accounted for 50 percent of the vote, while current NBA players and a panel of basketball media members accounted for 25 percent each.
Thomas is expected to receive the nod when reserves for the 2016-17 All-Star Game, which will be held in New Orleans on February 19, are named next week.
