No. 4 Alabama dominates No. 1 Clemson in Sugar Bowl

By Joe Teehan January 1, 2018 9:34 pm

PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A pair of Alabama defensive players scored touchdowns 13 seconds apart in the third quarter, and the No. 4 Crimson Tide dominated top-ranked Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game Monday night to give coach Nick Saban another shot at his record sixth national title.

The third straight playoff meeting between the college football powerhouses was a dud compared to their previous two meetings, both high-scoring classics with the national championship on the line.

Without Deshaun Watson, Clemson (12-2) simply has no answer for Saban’s latest group of defensive standouts, sending Alabama (12-1) to an all-Southeastern Conference showdown against Georgia next Monday night in Atlanta.

Da’Ron Payne, a 308-pound defensive lineman, hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass to put the Tide ahead 17-6. On Clemson’s next play, Kelly Bryant’s pass deflected off the hands of his receiver and was picked off by Mack Wilson, who returned it 18 yards for a clinching touchdown.

Vikings Fall at Montana State Billings, 75-62

By Joe Teehan November 30, 2017 10:14 pm

KPUGCourtesy Courtesy of WWU Athletics11-29-17 WWU Womens Basketball

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings Yellowjackets put together a 24-5 run in the third and fourth quarters to pull ahead of Western Washington University in a 75-62 victory Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball action in Alterowitz Gym.

The loss evens WWU’s season record at 4-4 overall and 1-1 in GNAC play. MSUB remained perfect on the season improving to 6-0 overall and is off to a 1-0 start in conference play.

Senior forward Hannah Stipanovich (St. Louis, MO/MSU Denver) and redshirt freshman guard Gracie Castaneda (Arlington, WA) led the Vikings with 15 points each. Stipanovich also tied for the team lead with 8 rebounds and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Lexie Bland (Ellensburg, WA) contributed 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting and was 2-for-3 from 3-point range.

MSUB senior guard Alisha Breen, the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year selection, led all players with 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting. Rylee Kane also reached double figures with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting.

Overall the Yellowjackets shot 50.0% from the floor (28-for-56), compared to WWU’s mark of 35.9% (23-for-64). The Vikings held a 33-27 edge in rebounds, but MSUB had more blocks (8-2) and steals (6-2) in the contest.

WWU trailed 34-32 at halftime and faced a one-point deficit at 49-48 heading into the final quarter. From the 1:30 mark in the third quarter to the 2:38 point in the fourth quarter, MSUB went on an extended 24-5 run to turn a 48-45 deficit into a 69-53 lead.

The Vikings (4-4, 1-1 GNAC) will return to action Dec. 18-19 hosting the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic Dec. in Carver Gym. WWU will host nationally-ranked West Texas A&M, Texas A&M International and Simon Fraser in the two-day tournament with games being played at 5 pm and 7:30 pm each day.

Vikings Announced as No. 2 Seed in NCAA II Championships West Regional

By Joe Teehan November 20, 2017 11:04 pm

KPUGCourtesy of WWU Athletics11-20-17 WWU Volleyball

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University has been announced as the No. 2 seed in the West Region for the 2017 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championships that will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at host and No. 1-seed California Baptist University in Riverside, Calif.

The nationally-ranked No. 5 Vikings finished the regular season 25-3 overall and won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship with a 19-1 league record. WWU heads into the postseason with an 18-match winning streak, tied for fourth-longest in program history, and currently tied for the 6th-longest active winning streak among Division II programs.

As the No. 2 seed in the eight-team regional, WWU will open tournament play with a quarterfinal match against No. 7 seed and GNAC rival Alaska Anchorage (19-10) on Thursday, Nov. 30 in Van Dyne Gym (time TBD). The regional features four GNAC teams, with WWU, UAA, No. 3-seed Northwest Nazarene (24-4) and No. 6-seed Central Washington (19-9). A GNAC team is guaranteed a spot in the regional final, as the four conference members are aligned on the same side of the bracket. UAA won the West Regional last year, and WWU was the 2015 regional champion en route to a Final Four appearance.

National No. 1-ranked California Baptist (28-0), No. 4 Cal State San Bernardino (21-7), No. 5 Azusa Pacific (22-6) and No. 8 Sonoma State (20-8) round out regional field. The schedule will feature four matches on Thursday (Nov. 30), two matches on Friday (Dec. 1) and the West Regional Final on Saturday (Dec. 2). The winner of the West Region, and the seven other NCAA II regions, advance to the NCAA II Elite Eight, which will be held Dec. 7-9 in Pensacola, Fla., and hosted by the University of West Florida.

“It is an honor any time you see your name listed as a participant in the NCAA Championships, and something that our program expects to be part of, but certainly does not take for granted,” said head coach Diane Flick-Williams, who is in her 18th season leading the Vikings. “This group has worked extremely hard to win the GNAC Championship and has had a wonderful season, but this is where we put everything we have learned this season to the test and we have to focus on just being the best we can be. The West Region is one of the toughest in the country, and we are excited to go up against the best.”

Western is making its 12th trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament, extending the program record with a sixth consecutive trip to the West Regional. The Vikings received the GNAC’s automatic berth into the 64-team field after winning the conference with a league-record-tying 19 wins (19-1). WWU has advanced to the West Regional championship match in each of the last two seasons, winning in 2015 to advance to the NCAA II Final Four and falling in four sets last season at Alaska Anchorage.

“This group has the experience playing in the last two regional finals and I think that will be something that we can learn from in how to prepare for the upcoming match,” said Flick-Williams. “We design our schedule each season with the NCAA Championships in mind, playing the best competition we possibly can to prepare us for the teams and the high level of play we will see in the tournament.”

WWU’s 25-win season marks the sixth consecutive season to reach the 20-victory mark, and the 13th during Flick-Williams’ 18 seasons in Bellingham. All three defeats for the Vikings this season came against teams that appeared in the national top 10 at some point during the year, including regional host and No. 1-ranked California Baptist. Western has won 22 of its last 23 matches.

The Vikings enter the tournament ranked No. 5 in the final regular season American Volleyball Coaches Association/NCAA II Top 25 Coaches Poll, extending the streak to 79 consecutive weeks appearing in the top 25.

WWU heads into the postseason ranked in the top 20 nationally in several statistical categories, including 2nd in blocks per set (2.82), 5th in digs (20.32/set), 15th in kills (14.15/set) and 18th in hitting percentage (.252) and assists (13.29/set).

The first-round match-up between the Vikings and Seawolves is a rematch of last season’s NCAA II West Regional Final, won by UAA in four sets. WWU beat Anchorage twice this season, both coming in four sets, and the Vikings had a 6-2 record vs. teams that make up the West Region field (CWU: 2-0, UAA: 2-0, NNU: 1-1, CSUSB: 1-0, CBU: 0-1).

The complete 64-team NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships field can be viewed via the online interactive bracket.

The complete NCAA Division II West Regional schedule is as follows with times expected to be announced officially on Tuesday:

Meridian beats Hoquiam, goes to 1a Quarterfinals

By Joe Teehan November 11, 2017 10:48 pm

KPUGMark Scholten11-11-17 Meridian over Hoquiam 63-21

In 1a Prep Football playoff action, the Meridian Trojans destroyed the Hoquiam Grizlies 63-21 on Saturday night at civic field. Simon Burkett threw a 65 yard touchdown pass to Lukas Hemenway in the first 21 seconds of the game and never looked back.

Except for a quarterback keeper in the last 5 seconds of the game the only score made by Hoquiam were 2 Pick Sixes by Francis Sweeney.

Meridian plays Montesano, next week, in the Quarter Finals.

The other Whatcom county team, play Saturday, Nooksack Valley lost to Cascade Christian 61-53.

Volleyball Falls to Undefeated Northwest Nazarene

By Joe Teehan September 16, 2017 11:46 pm

KPUGPhoto courtesy of WWU Atletics PHOTO: KPUG

NAMPA, Idaho – The 10th-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team won the opening set at Northwest Nazarene, but couldn’t hold off the undefeated Crusaders falling in four sets (25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 17-25) Saturday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at the Johnson Sports Center.

The Vikings dropped just their third match of the young season, falling to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in GNAC play. WWU went 1-1 on its first GNAC road trip of the season, beating rival Central Washington 3-1 on Thursday. After opening the year with 10 consecutive road matches, the Vikings will return to Bellingham for the home opener Tuesday vs. Simon Fraser. The Crusaders continued their undefeated season improving to 10-0 overall and 2-0 in GNAC play.

“NNU played a great match tonight, we just made some errors at key times that made a difference in terms of momentum,” said head coach Diane Flick-Williams. “This gives us a great opportunity to identify things we need to work on and get after it in practice.”

Junior outside hitter Abby Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan) continued her solid start to the season, registering her eighth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 19 digs.

Junior middle blocker Michaela Hall (Centralia, WA) recorded 13 kills on a .321 hitting percentage, and added 2 blocks for the Vikings.

“Michaela was a steady presence for us and gave us a spark when we needed it,” added Flick-Williams.

Junior opposite Joellee Buckner (Colville, WA) added a double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs, and sophomore middle blocker Joslyn Bopray recorded a team-high 8 blocks. Junior setter Brette Boesel (Brewster, WA) had 45 assists and 10 digs.

Western got off to a good start winning the opening set 25-21, out-hitting NNU .217 to .065 and holding a 6-1 edge in blocks.

The Crusaders battled back to take the second set 25-21 to even the match 1-1. NNU held a 21-13 lead, but the Vikings put together a 5-0 run to close to within three points at 21-18. After WWU pulled to within two points at 23-21, NNU closed out the set with consecutive points.

The Vikings had the early advantage in the third set pulling ahead 13-8, but NNU rallied after calling a timeout to go on an 8-3 run to pull even a 16-16. With WWU leading 19-18, NNU went on a 7-1 run to take the set 25-20 and go up 2-1 in the match.

With momentum back on their side, the Crusaders jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the deciding fourth set and never looked back to seal the match with a 25-17 win.

Mari Thomas led the Crusaders with 20 kills (.318 attack pct.) and 14 digs, while Madi Farrell added 18 kills and 10 blocks. Kendra Bodine also registered a double-double with 14 kills and a match high 27 digs. Setter Hailey Cook tallied a match-high 53 assists and also contributed 14 digs.

WWU faces a quick turnaround returning to conference play Tuesday hosting Simon Fraser at 7 pm on WECU Court at Carver Gym. The match will feature free admission for the first competition inside the renovated Carver Gym. The match will be streamed live online at WWUVikings.com/Live and available via the GNAC channel on several streaming devices (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, AndroidTV).

Most fires in British Columbia caused by people

By July 3, 2017 4:18 pm

KGMI News

VANCOUVER, BC (AP) – People caused the bulk of the fires burning across British Columbia.

There are about 30 new wildfires, and 20 of them are believed to be started by people.

Crews have yet to contain a blaze near Harrison Hot Springs.

Bells Come Up Just Short of Win Against The Sweets

By Joe Teehan July 1, 2017 11:35 pm

KPUGPhoto supplied to KPUG/CRG courtesy of the Bellingham Bells

A trio of home runs weren’t enough and the Bells dropped another tough one against the Walla Walla Sweets Saturday night, as the middle game of the series slipped away 5-1.

Max Flower and Kyle Stowers provided all the power for the Bells on Friday. Flower, the right fielder from Cal, crushed two to the opposite field fence, putting the first and second runs on the board for the Bells in the second and seventh innings. Stowers pulled his, launching a laser shot into the trees beyond the right field fence.

The Bells had a potential comeback rally turned away in the eighth inning, as they loaded the bases up for Kyle Stowers with one out before he was hit in the back to make the score 5-4. Shane Hanon came up with the bases still loaded and the go-ahead run in scoring position, but he struck out, as did Evan Hurn following him.

Holden Powell (4-1) lost his first game of the season and for the first time, gave up more than three hits in an outing, his shortest of the year. He has been stellar for the Bells so far this year, coming into the game with a 1.30 ERA and more strikeouts than innings pitched.

It was the fourth inning that undid the Bells, as three runs managed to get across after a pair crossed in the first two innings.

Tanner West, Zach Grech, Merle Rowan-Kennedy, Tristan Garnett, and Josh Zavisubin all came out and threw scoreless relief today. Rowan-Kennedy in particular was a surprise to see out in the eighth inning, as the big right-hander was the opening day starter, and has not seen any action out of the bullpen this year. He looked solid, throwing an inning and notched a pair of strikeouts while not allowing a baserunner.

Grech ran his scoreless streak to 4.1 innings, starting his Bells career strong. West threw a couple of innings to make his Bells regular-season debut, as he threw an inning in a non-league game earlier in the week. Garnett and Zavisubin came out to finish the game, shutting the door in the ninth.

The Bells take on the Sweets in the final game of the home series tomorrow afternoon at 3:05 p.m. at Joe Martin Field. They will then travel to Walla Walla to continue the six-game series with the Sweets.

Listen to the game 1st Half 2nd Half

Good samaritans robbed while trying to rescue man from river

By May 31, 2017 3:47 pm

KGMI News

PUYALLUP, Wash. (AP) – While two good samaritans were trying to rescue a man who fell into the Puyallup River, someone stole their wallet and keys.

Puyallup Police say one of the stolen credit cards was used a short time later at a gas station near Sumner.

KGMI News partner KOMO-News reports two people went into the river Monday to try to help a man who slipped while fishing with his family.

When the two returned to shore, they discovered someone had stolen their wallet, keys and sunglasses.

Rescue crews searched the river for two days, but haven’t been able to find the missing man.

Vrbata’s hat trick leads Canucks to win over Buffalo

By Scotty Van Dryver December 7, 2015 10:38 pm

Originally posted by KPUG

BC-HKN–Sabres-Canucks/159
Eds: APNewsNow. Canucks 5, Sabres 2. With AP Photos.
Vrbata scores 3 as Canucks beat Sabres to snap 5-game skid

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Radim Vrbata scored three goals for his sixth career hat trick to help Vancouver beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 Monday night, snapping the Canucks’ five-game losing streak.

Brandon Prust had a goal and an assist, and Henrik Sedin also scored for Vancouver, and Ryan Miller stopped 32 shots against his former team. The Canucks won for just the fourth time in their last 17 games. Daniel Sedin and Adam Cracknell added two assists each.

Brian Gionta and Sam Reinhart scored for Buffalo, and Linus Ullmark had 26 saves.

Vancouver extended its lead to 3-1 at 4:34 of the second as Prust scored his firt of the season. Henrik Sedin tipped Alex Edler’s shot past Ullmark with 2:42 remaining in the period for a three-goal advantage.

Reinhart pulled the Sabres within one early in the third, but Vrbata completed his hat trick with 5 1/2 minutes to go.

Gates Foundation offers workers paid parental leave, unlimited time off

By Scotty Van Dryver October 5, 2015 3:58 am

KGMI

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is making headlines for what they’re offering their workers.

The foundation now has one of the most-talked about parental leave policies in the world.

They announced they’ll offer paid leave for both new mothers and fathers for an entire year after their child’s birth or adoption.

Workers will also have unlimited time off, whether for sick leave or vacation.

They say this will help workers be more focused.

Refinery strike could come to Whatcom County

By Scotty Van Dryver February 26, 2015 10:28 pm

KGMI News Reporting
By Karen Taylor

ANACORTES, Wash. — Steel workers are still on strike at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes and the strikes could make their way up to Whatcom County.

Ryan Anderson with the local union at Anacortes says it’s not about money for them, it’s about safety. He says many refineries are critically understaffed and they are forced to put in 12 to 16 hour days up to 13 days in a row.

He says they are also concerned about the use of temporary contract workers, who are just as skilled but have nowhere near the same amount of rigorous training that union workers have.

They have now been on strike for about a month. A 2010 explosion at the refinery killed seven workers.

Anderson says they’re waiting to see whether Shell, which is representing the oil industry, will schedule another meeting with the union at the national level soon.

He says Philips 66 up here could end up in the same boat soon, as that refinery keeps extending its expiring contract with workers there.

Bankruptcy filings are down

By Joe Teehan January 20, 2015 6:44 am

KGMI News Reporting
By Tracy Ellis

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Something that plagued Whatcom County and the rest of the country during the recession is easing.

Local bankruptcy filings are close to where they were in 2007… before the financial meltdown.

The number of filings for 2014 – 455 – is down nearly 19-percent from the previous year.

In 2007… before the recession… there were 405 filings.

The U.S. bankruptcy court in Seattle provides the data.

TCU’s Patterson named AP coach of the year

By Scotty Van Dryver December 24, 2014 8:38 pm

TCU’s Gary Patterson is The Associated Press college football coach of the year.

Patterson is just the second two-time winner of the AP coach of the year, joining Nick Saban (2003 with LSU and 2008 with Alabama). The AP coach of the year has been awarded since 1998. Patterson, in his 14th season at TCU, was coach of the year in 2009.

Patterson received 27 of 54 votes from the AP poll media panel. Urban Meyer of Ohio State was the runner-up with 14 votes. Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen received six votes. Alabama’s Nick Saban and Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez drew two votes each. Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Baylor’s Art Briles and Memphis’ Justin Fuente had one each.

Patterson guided the sixth-ranked Horned Frogs to an 11-1 record after going 4-8 in 2013.

Oregon QB Marcus Mariota wins Heisman Trophy

By Joe Teehan December 13, 2014 6:18 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — Marcus Mariota has won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Oregon player to earn college football’s top individual honor.

A pinpoint passer with wide-receiver speed, Mariota came into his junior the season as the favorite to win the Heisman and delivered a performance that turned the presentation ceremony into a foregone conclusion.

The first Hawaii native to win the Heisman has accounted for a Pac-12-record 53 touchdowns (38 passing, 14 rushing and one receiving) while directing the Ducks’ warp-speed spread offense, and leading Oregon to a spot in the first College Football Playoff.

It will be a matchup of Heisman-winning quarterbacks in the Rose Bowl semifinal Jan. 1 with Mariota and the second-seeded Ducks facing Florida State and Jameis Winston.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NBA Signings

By Scotty Van Dryver July 21, 2014 3:43 pm

NBA-SIGNINGS

Clubs continue to rework rosters

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The NBA champion Spurs have worked out a deal to bring back Matt Bonner. He played sparingly last season for San Antonio but contributed with outside shooting. He has been with the Spurs for eight seasons and ranks third in franchise history in 3-pointers made and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage.

UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have re-signed guard Kirk Hinrich to a two-year deal. A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that Hinrich will make $2.7 million next season. The contract includes a player option for the second year. The person requested anonymity because the team does not publicly comment on contract details. Hinrich, who has spent nine of his 11 seasons with the Bulls, averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 assists in 73 games last season.

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent forward Richard Jefferson as a possible replacement for Vince Carter off the bench. Reports are it’s a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $1.4 million. Jefferson started 78 games for Utah last year but figures to be used as a 3-point threat coming off the bench. The Mavs lost Carter when he signed with Memphis as a free agent.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have announced the signing of forward Anthony Tolliver. The Suns are the seventh NBA team for the 6-foot-8 journeyman, who is an accurate 3-point shooter. The two-year contract is worth $6 million, but only $400,000 is guaranteed in the second season.

Tolliver shot a career-high 41 percent from 3-point range for Charlotte last season, averaging 6.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 64 games.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Jazz have signed free agent forward Trevor Booker.Booker has played all four of his NBA seasons in Washington, averaging 6.4 points and 5.1 minutes in 235 career games, including 105 starts. He averaged 6.8 points and 5.3 rebounds last season.The 6-foot-8 forward was the 23rd overall pick in the 2010 draft by Minnesota before his rights were traded to the Wizards.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Free-agent guard Nick Young has signed a multiyear deal to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers.General manager Mitch Kupchak on Monday described Young as a “bright spot” during last year’s losing season. He says he’s glad to keep someone committed to the rebuilding of the team.Young averaged a career-high 17.9 points in his first season with the Lakers playing mostly off the bench. He started nine of 64 games. Young led the NBA in four-point plays with seven, a team record.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mariners rally late for 6-5 win over Rangers

By Joe Teehan April 25, 2014 10:26 pm

SEATTLE (AP) — Robinson Cano hit a two-run double in the sixth inning, Justin Smoak had a two-run double in the eighth and the Seattle Mariners won consecutive games for the first time since the opening week of the season with a 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

Cano’s double was the only time the Mariners got to Texas starter Robbie Ross Jr., but they battered reliever Neal Cotts (1-2) in the eighth inning, scoring four times to end the Rangers’ win streak at three games.

With no outs and the bases loaded, Smoak avoided the temptation of two inside pitches from Cotts and worked the count full. He lined a 3-2 pitch down the left-field line and just out of the reach of Michael Choice, allowing Cano and pinch-runner Michael Saunders to score the go-ahead runs.

NCAA Tourney: Dancing in Spokane

By March 19, 2014 8:01 pm

The Men’s NCAA Tournament is hitting Spokane Four 2nd round games get underway Thursday with a pair of third round match-ups slated for Saturday at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

Gonzaga, the lone in-state participant in the Big Dance, won’t be there to enjoy a home town advantage. The Bulldogs are in San Diego. they will open up play Friday against Oklahoma State.

Thursday’s games feature Harvard vs. Cincinnati, Delaware vs. Michigan State, North Dakota State vs. Oklahoma and New Mexico State vs. San Diego State. The winners square off against each other on Saturday.

THURSDAY GAMES:
11:10 am – Harvard v Cincinnati
1:40 pm – Delaware v Michigan State
4:27 pm – North Dakota State v Oklahoma
7:00 pm – New Mexico State v San Diego State

(KPUG Newsroom – Doug Lange)

Mariners Iwakuma, Walker unlikely ready by opener

By March 1, 2014 9:15 am

KPUG

TIM BOOTH, AP Sports Writer

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon says it would be “hard-pressed” for either Hisashi Iwakuma or Taijuan Walker to be in the Mariners rotation on opening day because of their injury setbacks during spring training.

McClendon said Saturday morning that the injuries to Iwakuma (finger) and Walker (shoulder) are opening opportunities for others in camp. But the injuries also leave a rotation that had questions entering spring training even more uncertain.

Iwakuma will have his right middle finger in a splint for another three weeks before throwing, while Walker is being shut down for a week because of inflammation in his right shoulder.

McClendon also confirmed that Felix Hernandez is expected to be Seattle’s opening day starter when the Mariners open the season on March 31 against the Angels.

Aldridge & Lillard selected by coaches to NBA All-Star game

By Scotty Van Dryver January 30, 2014 7:42 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets each had two players picked as reserves for the NBA All-Star game, while the Indiana Pacers had to settle for just Roy Hibbert despite the league’s best record.

LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard made it from the Trail Blazers, who have been among the Western Conference leaders all season.

Dwight Howard, who was passed late in fan voting for a starting spot, was chosen Thursday along with Houston teammate James Harden.

Old reliables Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki round out the West reserves for the Feb. 16 game in New Orleans.

The rest of the East reserves are: Miami’s Chris Bosh, Washington’s John Wall, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan, Brooklyn’s Joe Johnson, Chicago’s Joakim Noah and Atlanta’s Paul Millsap.