Joel Embiid among top vote-getters in the second round of NBA All-Star fan voting returns

PORTLAND, Ore. — Joel Embiid returned the third-most fan votes for Eastern Conference frontcourt players in the second round of NBA All-Star voting returns that were released Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ben Simmons is no longer among the Top 10 vote-getters for Eastern Conference guards. He was in 10th place when the first fan returns were released on Feb. 4. Tobias Harris, the 76ers’ third All-Star candidate, is not among the conference’s top-10 frontcourt vote-getters for the second straight return.

Los Angeles Lakers forward and four-time MVP LeBron James is the league’s top vote-getter with 4,362,533 votes, while Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant leads the East at 4,234,433.

Fans account for 50% of the All-Star votes to determine the 10 starters for the NBA All-Star Game, which is expected to be played on March 7 in Atlanta. A selected media panel and current NBA players will each account for 25 percent of the vote. The voters must pick two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference on their ballets. Voting concludes at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday.

TNT will reveal the All-Star starters next Thursday, while the reserves will be announced on Feb. 23.

The top three frontcourt and top two backcourt vote-getters in each conference will make up the 10 All-Star starters. The All-Star reserves are selected by the NBA coaches.

The East’s top three frontcourt vote-getters are Durant, followed by Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (3,282,478) and Embiid (3,022,105). The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (1,680,780) is a distant fourth.

The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal (2,528,719), Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving (2,104,130) and James Harden (1,829,504), and Boston’s Jaylen Brown (1,062,888) are the conference’s four leading guards.