James Harden Slated For Fourth Straight All-Star Game Start

Rockets guard James Harden is on track to start his fourth consecutive All-Star Game in February, according to the third returns of All-Star voting released on Thursday. 

Harden tallied the second-most votes among Western Conference guards, trailing only Mavericks phenom Luka Doncic. Harden also trails frontcourt players LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard in the Western Conference voting. The top two guards and top three frontcourt players in each conference are guaranteed All-Star starting spots.

The final round of All-Star voting will close on Jan. 20. Once the ten All-Star starters are set, they will be divided in the All-Star Player Draft on Feb. 6. The captains will be the player who received the most votes in their respective conference. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are currently projected to be the captains for the second straight season.

Harden is a seven-time All-Star, and he's been an All-Star starter in each of the last three seasons. The 2017-18 MVP has not had an All-Star teammate since Dwight Howard in 2014.

Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook will likely need to be selected as a reserve to join Harden. Westbrook is currently fifth among guards in Western Conference voting, trailing Doncic, Harden, Damian Lillard, and (delightfully) Alex Caruso. Perhaps Westbrook can leap ahead of the Lakers' reserve with a win at the Toyota Center on Saturday.

Harden is in the midst of a historic offensive season, entering Saturday's matchup with Los Angeles at a league-high 37.2 points per game. He is currently on pace to post the highest single-season scoring average since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63. The two-time scoring champion has struggled of late, though. Harden has dipped to 28.8 points per game in his last five contests, shooting just 32.5% from the field and 27.7% from three. A night off could soon be in order after playing in 39 of Houston's first 40 games this season. 

Harden and the Rockets fell to 26–14 on Wednesday night in a loss to the Blazers. They'll look to rebound against the Lakers on Saturday, with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. CT.