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Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
Sport
Jerry Zgoda

Timberwolves' Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns named All-Stars

PORTLAND, Ore. _ Here's another sign that the Timberwolves are traveling down the road to respectability: They've put two players in the All-Star Game for the first time since they last made the playoffs 14 years ago.

Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns were chosen by Western Conference coaches as reserves to play in next month's game in Los Angeles.

The West coaches also chose Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Golden State's Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland's Damian Lillard.

The East coaches selected Boston's Al Horford, New York's Kristaps Porzingis, Washington's John Wall and Bradley Beal, Cleveland's Kevin Love, Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Toronto's Kyle Lowry.

The official unveiling of 14 reserves from both conferences aired on TNT before its Tuesday night doubleheader.

This will be the fourth time Butler has been named to play in the All-Star game; he played in Chicago the first three times. This will be Towns' first time.

The Wolves have had two players in the same All-Star Game two other times: Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell made it in 2004, when the Wolves reached the Western Conference playoffs, and Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak made it in 2002.

The game format has changed this year: LeBron James and Stephen Curry will captain the two teams because they were the leading vote getters in fan, media and player balloting. James will pick first and the two stars will draft teams, selecting first from among the game's starters named last week and then from the reserves.

Among players who didn't make it: Houston's Chris Paul, OKC's Paul George and the Clippers' Lou Williams.

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