NBA All-Star voting: Stephen Curry making up ground on LeBron James

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry trails Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James by 13,285 votes for the top spot in the NBA All-Star balloting.

Curry has gained ground on James since the second returns of the balloting were released on New Year's Day. At that point, James led Curry by 20,324 votes. James is currently sidelined with knee and back injuries, while Curry continues to thrive as the Warriors' leading scorer and assist provider.

Celebrities at NBA All-Star Games

Prince, Spike Lee

A look back at celebrities who have attended NBA All-Star games over the years.

Madonna

Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears

Olivia Wilde

Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier

Samuel L. Jackson

Brittany Murphy, Ashton Kutcher

Faith Hill

Jay-Z, Beyonce

LL Cool J.

Eva Longoria

Gabrielle Union, Terry Crews

Jack Nicholson and family

Richie Sambora, Heather Locklear

Demi Moore

Janet Jackson

Denzel Washington

Floyd Mayweather Jr, 50 Cent

Justin Beiber

Rob Reiner

Nelly, Sean Combs

Minka, Donald Faison

Cedric the Entertainer

Josh Duhamel, Fergie

Jamie Foxx

Deion Sanders

Julianne Moore

Eva Longoria, Cameron Diaz

Kevin Hart

Steve Carell, Harold Ramis

Adam Sandler, Kevin James

Michael Clarke Duncan, Vanessa Bosell

Wayne Newton and wife

Ludacris, Prince

Alyssa Milano

Nicki Minaj

Adam Levine

Corbin Bleu

Joel Moorel

Drake

Mark Wahlberg

Chris Tucker

Gene Simmons

Steven Tyler

Isaac Hayes

Warren Beatty

Lil Wayne

George Lopez

Cee Lo Green

Vinny Guadagnino, Michael Rappaport

Alicia Keys

Snoop Dogg, Bow Wow

Damon Wayans

Bruce Hornsby

Lennox Lewis, Naomi Campbell

Chrissy Tiegen, John Legend

Both players lead their respective conferences in votes, which are cast for backcourt and frontcourt players.

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall leads the East backcourt with 564,977 votes, while Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade is second with 507,326. Chicago Bulls forward PauGasol tops the East backcourt with 527,582 votes, followed by New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony with 456,186.

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving fell from third to fourth among East guards, behind the Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry, meaning it is less likely that the so-called "Derrick Rose Rule" in his contract will be triggered.

In the West backcourt, Curry has garnered 958,014 votes, compared to 862,568 for Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. The West frontcourt is paced by New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, whose 922,381 votes rank behind only James and Curry, and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin with 490,786.

• GOLLIVER: The All-Clutch Team

Here is a longer list of players receiving votes in the third returns.

East

Frontcourt:

1. LeBron James (Cle) 971,299
2. Pau Gasol (Chi) 527,582
3. Carmelo Anthony (NY) 456,186
4. Chris Bosh (Mia) 354,609
5. Kevin Love (Cle) 260,269
6. Marcin Gortat (Was) 155,636
7. Joakim Noah (Chi) 139,307
8. Jonas Valanciunas (Tor) 125,796
9. Al Jefferson (Cha) 77,518
10. Kevin Garnett (BKN) 76,595
11. Nikola Vucevic (Orl) 68,722
12. Paul Pierce (Was) 59,264
13. Paul Millsap (Atl) 55,224
14. Nikola Mirotic (Chi) 52,562
15. Al Horford (Atl) 48,465

Backcourt:

1. John Wall (Was) 564,977
2. Dwyane Wade (Mia) 507,326
3. Kyle Lowry (Tor) 406,974
4. Kyrie Irving (Cle) 372,065
5. Jimmy Butler (Chi) 263,914
6. Derrick Rose (Chi) 240,092
7. DeMar DeRozan (Tor) 97,093
8. Louis Williams (Tor) 43,652
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Mil) 31,700
10. Bradley Beal (Was) 28,387

West

Frontcourt:

1. Anthony Davis (NO) 922,381
2. Blake Griffin (LAC) 490,786
3. Marc Gasol (Mem) 476,660
4. Tim Duncan (SA) 374,814
5. Kevin Durant (OKC) 330,297
6. LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 315,405
7. Dwight Howard (Hou) 211,531
8. DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 209,742
9. Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 186,017
10. Kawhi Leonard (SA) 115,194
11. Rudy Gay (Sac) 97,856
12. DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 75,777
13. Tyson Chandler (Dal) 63,906
14. Nick Young (LAL) 62,502
15. Serge Ibaka (OKC) 60,842

Backcourt:

1. Stephen Curry (GS) 958,014
2. Kobe Bryant (LAL) 862,568
3. James Harden (Hou) 690,843
4. Chris Paul (LAC) 401,945
5. Damian Lillard (Por) 210,794
6. Klay Thompson (GS) 170,827
7. Rajon Rondo (Dal) 165,427
8. Russell Westbrook (OKC) 159,264
9. Jeremy Lin (LAL) 148,763
10. Tony Parker (SA) 75,325

Balloting closes on Jan. 19, and the starters will be announced on TNT three days later. The game will take place on Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden.