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The NBA announced this evening San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan will start at center for the Western Conference All-Stars. He replaces Houston Rockets center Yao Ming in the starting lineup, who earned the spot via the fan vote but is out for the season due to injury (stress fracture, left ankle).

This is Duncan’s 13th NBA All-Star Game and the 12th consecutive All-Star Game he will start.

The league also announced the four players fans picked to compete against New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge during the All-Star Saturday festivities. They are:

John Wall, Washington Wizards
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Wall and Curry will both be competing in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge on Friday, Wall for the Rookies and Curry for the Sophomores. Rose is an Eastern Conference All-Star and Westbrook a Western Conference All-Star. Paul is also a Western Conference All-Star.

Rose previously won the event in 2009.

Earlier Thursday the league announced Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden would replace Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans on the Sophomore team in the Rookie Challenge. Evans bowed out with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Also, go here to see HOOPSWORLD’s predictions for All-Star Weekend and to enter our prediction contest!

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