Charlotte, n.c.
Stephen Curry told ESPN he and brother Seth Curry of the Portland Trail Blazers will square off Feb. 16 in Charlotte, their hometown.
The Golden State star says the contest will be fun, but he knows his brother is “going to be gunning for me, though. That’s the problem.”
The NBA has not released the full field of competitors for the All-Star Saturday Night events. This will be the sixth time Stephen Curry has been in the contest and the first for Seth Curry. Their father, Dell Curry, was a two-time participant.
In an interview last week with The Associated Press, Dell Curry said his two sons love to compete at just about anything — and it’s impossible to say who’s more competitive.
“At my daughter’s wedding we played liar’s dice for about two hours — and that was the most competitive thing I have seen in a long time,” he said with a laugh. “Anytime there is a game that somebody has to win or lose, you can’t give anyone the edge as to who is more competitive. We all are.”
Seth Curry is actually outshooting his two-time league MVP brother from beyond the arc this NBA season.
James Back in Drills;Still Not in Lineup
El Segundo, Calif.
James will miss his 16th consecutive game today when the Lakers host the Phoenix Suns.
The 34-year-old James has been out since Christmas due to the most significant injury of his 16-year NBA career. He had never missed more than 13 games in an entire season.
James practiced with his teammates Saturday at their training complex, but won’t return this weekend. The Lakers’ next game after that is Tuesday at home against Philadelphia.
James was selected this week to be a starter and a team captain in the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte on Feb. 17.
Spurs 126, Pelicans 114
New Orleans
Rudy Gay had 22 points, including 11 in the third quarter, and 11 rebounds to help San Antonio snap a two-game skid.
Aldridge had 12 points during a decisive spurt in the third quarter as the Spurs used a 25-12 run to extend a three-point halftime lead to 85-69. The Spurs shot 55 percent from the field in the period and outscored the Pelicans 36-28.
New Orleans played without four key injured contributors — Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Nikola Mirotic and E’Twaun Moore — but the Spurs also had to overcome the absence of leading scorer DeMar DeRozan.
Jrue Holiday had a game-high 29 points to lead the Pelicans, and Jahlil Okafor added 24 points and 15 rebounds.
The short-handed Pelicans, who lost their third straight game, battled hard. Okafor went up against Aldridge, scoring 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds in the first half. Aldridge led the Spurs with 16 first-half points on 7-of-13 shooting as San Antonio took a 60-57 lead at the half.