Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry named reserve for all-star game

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry was named a reserve for the NBA all-star game on Thursday, his sixth time playing in the exhibition and the most in franchise history.

Lowry will join forward Pascal Siakam in Chicago, who was voted a starter for the game by fans, media and players.

He’s averaging 19.8 points, a team-high 7.4 assists (tied for eighth in the NBA) and 36.9 minutes in 36 games this season.

Lowry has scored 20 or more points 19 times and posted seven double-doubles with one triple-double this season.

He became Toronto’s all-time leader in assists (3,772) earlier this week, and already had the most three-point field goals (1,327) and steals (790).

Lowry ranks third in games played (533) and fourth in points (9,336) for the Raptors after being acquired in a trade from Houston on July 12, 2012.

A native of Philadelphia, Lowry was selected Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Dec. 16-22 — the fifth time he has received the honour as a Raptor.

He set season highs with 36 points Nov. 2 at Milwaukee and 15 assists Jan. 12 vs. San Antonio.

The 14 all-star game reserves were selected by the NBA’s 30 head coaches. The coaches voted for seven players in their respective conferences — two guards, three frontcourt players and two additional players at either position group. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2020.