At this point, there is no Victor Wembanyama in this season's NBA rookie class. There is no Paolo Banchero. And there's no Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Karl-Anthony Towns, Damian Lillard,

The show must go on for the Dallas Mavericks even without Luka Doncic, but while they wait for their superstar guard, there are opportunities for players to step up.

The Mavericks have publicly campaigned for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to be voted as starters for this year’s All-Star Game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Stephen Curry were voted as the backcourt representatives in the Western Conference.

NBA trades are not all that uncommon, but when they involve superstar players, it certainly is big news and can be unexpected.

So some like Alperen Sengun, Domantas Sabonis and Jaren Jackson might get reserve spots. But the real tough decision is measuring Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Anthony Davis against Victor Wembanyama. I’ll go with Durant and LeBron this time — and assume the other two will be in the game.

The game is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans looking to watch this NBA game can do so for free by using DirecTV Stream, which offers a free trial, or FuboTV, which also offers a free trial and $30 off your first month. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available.

J-Mac is wagering on the Mavericks to not make the postseason — and no, the play-in doesn't count. Find out why he's fading Dallas in this spot.

Whenever we see a little separation in their ranks, the standings tighten again. So with apologies to Sacramento and Golden State — both 24-23 but tied for ninth behind too many rivals — here is a look at the eight West teams lined up behind Oklahoma City, with reasons why and why not they might climb as high as No. 2:

The NBA named the 10 "starters" for this year's All-Star Game(s) last week, and to no one's surprise, the league's biggest stars made the cut. LeBron James will start for a 21st consecutive season. His aging rivals,

Tim Bontemps unveils his 24 picks for the East and West All-Star rosters, filled with new starters, wild-card intrigue and some agonizing decisions.

Stephen Curry bounced back from a four-point first half with five second-half 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rallied to overcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 52 points and stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.