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NBA All-Star ballots: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin in line to start again for West

The second returns for the NBA All-Star balloting show that the the two Los Angeles Clippers are looking like starters for the 2013 game.

By Kevin Zimmerman
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Clippers appear to have two players locked into starting spots for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game.

According to the second returns of fan votes released by the NBA, point guard Chris Paul and forward Blake Griffin would be set to start for the Western Conference if voting were to end Thursday.

In the new format of voting, which separates positions into frontcourt and backcourt, Paul is second in the West to Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. The Lakers' star has a commanding 977,444 votes to Paul's 542,564 votes. The dark horse and only potential threat to Paul's place as one of two backcourt starters is Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin, who has 496,133 votes as of the second returns.

Griffin is among the top-three frontcourt players who would start for the Western Conference. The Thunder's Kevin Durant leads with 924,898 votes and the Lakers' Dwight Howard is second with 616,150 votes. Griffin has a firm grasp on third place with 489,795 votes, well ahead of Tim Duncan's 299,434 and Pau Gasol's 232,074.