Nick Nurse will coach the Team Giannis All-Stars in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game as the Toronto Raptors have clinched the second best record in the Eastern Conference.

Nurse is in his second season as the Raptors’ head coach after spending five seasons as an assistant coach with Toronto. 

Mike Budenholzer is ineligible because he served as a head coach in last year’s NBA All-Star Game.  

Carmelo Anthony has been ruled of Friday's game at the Los Angeles Lakers for personal reasons.

Anthony is not playing "because of his continued grieving and emotions over the loss of Kobe Bryant," reports Shams Charania on Stadium.

Anthony and Bryant were scheduled to have dinner together in Los Angeles on Thursday. Bryant was also expected to attend Friday's game between the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.

Anthony and Bryant were close friends for many years. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo believes the Milwaukee Bucks should have had more than one other All-Star beyond himself and Khris Middleton, citing Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez.

"Bled could average 20-25 points if we actually played a lot of minutes but we didn't. He's sacrificed also, a lot for this team and is one of our leaders," he continued. "Not just Bled, and Brook [Lopez] also. I wanted Bled to be on the team, the whole team wanted Bled to be on the team because he's definitely deserving, but this team is unselfish. Guys that are on this team, they just play to win and even though he did not make it, he's going to come out tonight and for the rest of the season give his best and help this team be successful."

The Bucks are 41-6 and Antetokounmpo believes they can win 70 games.

"We're not done," Antetokounmpo said. "We've got a long way to go. We're on pace, we can probably win 70 games, but at the end of the day, we've got to keep getting better. I think the team is getting better game by game and we're definitely motivated. We haven't done nothing. Not trying to take anything away from the games that we won, but we've got a long way to go and I've said in the past, but I'll say it right now that our goal is to play in June and be the best team we can be at that time."

The Atlanta Hawks are among several teams expressing interest in trading for Clint Capela, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Hawks have been active on the trade market seeking a center. The Hawks have also explored trades for Andre Drummond, Dewayne Dedmon and Steven Adams.

The Houston Rockets previously shopped Capela during the 2019 offseason.

While Jrue Holiday has emerged as the player teams would like to acquire ahead of the trade deadline, he is likely to remain with the New Orleans Pelicans.

There had been speculation among teams that Holiday could eventually seek a trade from the Pelicans, but league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that he's made it clear he's happy in New Orleans and committed to the franchise. Holiday would like to take the rest of the season to see how the team performs.

The Pelicans have wanted to evaluate the roster throughout the entire season and the belief is David Griffin will stick to that plan.

The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat are among the teams interested in Holiday with other teams expected to also emerge. The Pelicans are listening to trade calls on Holiday, but their asking price remains high on Holiday. 

The NBA, NBPA and Nike announced that the 2020 NBA All-Star uniforms will pay tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and their seven friends and teammates who tragically passed away in last Sunday’s helicopter accident. 

The 2020 NBA All-Star Game will feature Team LeBron (James) wearing the No. 2 and Team Giannis (Antetokounmpo) wearing the No. 24 – Gianna and Kobe’s basketball jersey numbers, respectively. 

In addition, both teams will wear jersey patches displaying nine stars, representing those who lost their lives in the crash, including John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan. The players will wear the jerseys during the NBA All-Star Game at the United Center in Chicago on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET. 

Luka Dončić (Slovenia) is joined on the World Team by New Orleans Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Canada); Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (Bahamas); New York Knicks guard/forward RJ Barrett (Canada); Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (Canada); Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada); Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (Japan) and center Moritz Wagner (Germany); Detroit Pistons guard/forward Svi Mykhailiuk (Ukraine); and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Josh Okogie (Nigeria).

Young is joined on the U.S. Team by Charlotte Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and PJ Washington and guard Devonte’ Graham; Chicago Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr.; Miami Heat guards Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn; Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and guard Ja Morant; and Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall.

Ja Morant went from overlooked recruit out of high school to No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft to one of the most promising young players in the entire NBA.

"It's just my edge. The chip I have on my shoulder from what I had to go through to get to the NBA," said Morant.

"My dad always told me that I was trained to go, basically that I'm built for the moment. And my mom always told me I'm beneath no one."

Morant has been highly productive for a rookie point guard and he has also had some of his best moments in crunch time.

"He doesn't shy away from those moments," Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of Morant. "He's here to be great."

Kobe Bryant's only connection with the Los Angeles Clippers was when he considered signing with the team in 2004, but Doc Rivers believes his team can pay tribute to Bryant by winning the 2020 Finals. 

"The best way if you want to honor Kobe, and we talked about this even on Sunday, is to go win," Rivers said before the Clippers lost to the Sacramento Kings. "Not just win tonight, but win it.

"So that's our journey. It was already our journey, and then this happens, and I think our guys understand if you really want to salute him, he made a lot of sacrifices to be a winner, Kobe did. ... And so for us to win, we're going to have to do the same thing, otherwise we will not win. So I think that's our journey now, as well."

The Clippers left Bryant's retired jerseys uncovered and had a spotlight shining on them throughout the game.

The Sacramento Kings offered the Los Angeles Lakers a package of Nemanja Bjelica and a draft pick for Kyle Kuzma, league sources told Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer.

The Lakers countered by asking for Bogdan Bogdanovic, which the Kings refused.

The Ringer adds that the Kings have declined other offers for Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic, a restricted free agent this summer, is averaging 14.6 points and 3.3 assists on the season.