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New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Despite missing 25 games, reigning MVP Kevin Durant was selected to the All-Star Game Thursday as a reserve, while Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard were among the players snubbed. Durant, who was named MVP of the 2012 All-Star Game and will be appearing in it for the sixth straight time, has only played in 21 of Oklahoma Citys 46 games while dealing with foot and toe injuries. There are plenty of familiar faces among the Western Conference reserves, including Durants teammate Russell Westbrook, Rockets MVP candidate and NBA scoring leader James Harden and Clippers point guard Chris Paul. Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson will be making his first appearance. Spurs big man and future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan will be making his 15th appearance in the All-Star Game, tying him with Kevin Garnett and Shaquille ONeal for third-most all-time. Portland power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who has put off thumb surgery, rounds out the West roster. Harden is expected to move into the starting lineup in place of injured Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who is sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Lillard, Cousins and Grizzlies guard Mike Conley are among the potential replacements on the roster. There were few, if any, surprises among the Eastern Conference reserves, with the conference-leading Hawks placing three players in the game for the first time since 1980. Point guard Jeff Teague made his first All-Star Game, forward Paul Millsap his second and center Al Horford will represent the East for the third time. Miami will be well-represented as well, with veterans Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh earning their 11th and 10th consecutive trips, respectively. Clevelands Kyrie Irving and Chicagos Jimmy Butler round out the roster. Irving, the reigning All-Star Game MVP, will play in the game for a third consecutive year, while Butler is set to make his first appearance. The Western Conference starters as voted by fans were Bryant, Golden States Stephen Curry, New Orleans Anthony Davis, Memphis Marc Gasol and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers. New Yorks Carmelo Anthony, Chicagos Pau Gasol, Clevelands LeBron James, Torontos Kyle Lowry and Washingtons John Wall were voted as starters for the Eastern Conference. Atlantas Mike Budenholzer and his staff will coach the East, while first-year Golden State coach Steve Kerr and his staff will lead the West. The game will be held at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Feb. 15. Custom Colorado Rockies Nike Jerseys . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Custom Chicago White Sox Nike Jerseys . Still, its a start. Josh Baileys goal with 1:40 left capped a furious third-period rally, and the Islanders edged the Penguins 4-3 on Friday night. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/. As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not. Custom Tampa Bay Rays Nike Jerseys . -- Mississippi State was crushed twice by Florida last season, once by 35 points and the other by 25. Custom Boston Red Sox Nike Jerseys . The teams were scoreless for most of the first two periods before Canada scored three times in a span of less than four minutes. Sarah Potomak opened the scoring on the power play.TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays started last season with an April swoon that they never really recovered from. Buoyed by a four-game winning streak and a return to the .500 mark entering play Thursday night, manager John Gibbons said the feeling around the team is much better now than this time last year. "No doubt. I think last year was a little bit of a shock to everybody," Gibbons said during a pre-game availability. "But I think they always had a good attitude. But everybody was kind of like they got hit by a two-by-four ... I definitely feel something different this year. "Theyre feeling good." Expectations were sky-high for last years squad after an off-season makeover brought in big names like R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Mark Buehrle. However, the team lost 21 of its first 31 games and struggled to a last-place finish in the American League East. General manager Alex Anthopoulos kept the changes to a minimum in the last off-season. There are early signs that might have been a prudent approach. The Blue Jays had a few hiccups in recent weeks -- including a couple meltdowns from their usually strong bullpen -- but appear to be back in form as they continued a nine-game homestand Thursday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. Torontos starting rotation has been anchored by the steady play of Buehrle, who is off to a 6-1 start with a sparkling 1.91 earned-run average. The Blue Jays starters have been going deeper into games and easing the pressure on the bullpen, which looked good early on but has had some inconsistent patches. Closer Casey Janssen could return from his rehab assignment in the coming days and that would also give the relief crew a boost. Injuries were a problem last year.dddddddddddd The absence of Reyes for most of the first half of the season had a ripple effect through the order and his defensive skills were missed. His troublesome hamstring was an issue last month but his game appears to be coming around. A big difference early on this year is the meat of the lineup looks comfortable and is getting results. Entering play Thursday, Melky Cabrera (.329, 6 HR, 14 RBIs) leads the American League with 48 hits, Jose Bautista (.300, 9 HR, 21 RBIs) has reached base in all 34 games and leads the American League with a 1.041 OPS (on-base plus slugging) while Edwin Encarnacion (.242, 4 HR, 21 RBIs) has been a threat in the cleanup spot. There have also been some nice bonuses. Backup catcher Josh Thole is hitting .400, Juan Francisco filled in admirably when Adam Lind went down with a back problem and regular catcher Dioner Navarro has a .300 average. Lind was activated Thursday and served as the designated hitter against the Phillies. He was hitting .324 at the time of his injury. The Blue Jays have also been hitting for power -- they lead the American League with 44 home runs and a team slugging percentage of .432 entering play against Philadelphia. No one is strutting around the dugout after splitting the first 34 games of the season. But its a marked improvement from the 13-23 record and woeful .361 winning percentage the Blue Jays had on this date last year. Perhaps the positive feelings are boosted by the fact the other American League East clubs are in a similar boat with only 3 1/2 games separating first from worst. The Blue Jays will play four games against the Los Angeles Angels before closing out the homestand with a three-game set against the Cleveland Indians. ' ' '