SALT LAKE CITY _ It was important to Kristaps Porzingis that the NBA players voted him third among Eastern Conference frontcourt players to start in the All-Star Game.
"Players know," Porzingis said. "That's all I'm going to say."
Porzingis wasn't voted a starter though. He finished fourth behind LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid in the fans and media voting. The players voted Porzingis ahead of Embiid.
In the weighted system, the fans count as 50 percent of the vote, and the players and media 25 percent each. The top three frontcourt players are named starters.
Porzingis still believes the coaches will pick him to appear in his first All-Star Game. The reserves are announced Tuesday.
"I would hope so," he said. "In my mind, I deserve it. All I got to do is play good and win games and the results will take care of itself."
