Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors will defend his Taco Bell Skills Challenge title against a field consisting of Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets.

The 2012 Taco Bell Skills Challenge will take place on Feb. 25, at Amway Center in Orlando.

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, Feb. 19.

James led Miami to a 4-0 week, averaging 27.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals. James shot .623 from the field, .905 from the foul line and .500 from distance, tallying 25 or more points three times, and posting a 35-point effort on Feb. 13 during a 114-96 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Durant helped Oklahoma City to a 3-1 week which included wins over the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. Durant averaged 32.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, and shot .585 from the field, .917 from the foul line and .588 from distance. Durant’s career-high 51 points on Feb. 19 propelled the Thunder to a 124-118 win over the Nuggets.

Kevin Durant has improved as a clutch offensive player.

Durant has scored 53.4 points per 48 minutes of clutch time, which is second to only Louis Williams of the Sixers.

In previous seasons, Durant had a negative plus/minus in clutch situations.

“I think you do have it,” Durant said of being clutch. “It's not overrated. I think knowing the importance of a basketball game and wanting to win every single game, especially late in the game, is what you dream about doing.”

“I just think Kevin is improving,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “He's a worker. He's a talented young man that's going to get better. And making shots in this league is not easy. The great players make it look easy … But it takes a lot to make shots in this league. And Kevin has the ability to make shots, and he has the ability to help his teammates make shots.”

Kevin Durant is splitting from his longtime agent, Aaron Goodwin, CEO of Seattle-based Goodwin Sports Management.

“I really appreciate what the Goodwins did for me, but it was time for me to move on,” Durant said.

Durant recently has completed major national sponsorship deals with Sprint and Apollo Jets, with the private charter company even agreeing to sweeten the deal by giving Durant a share of the company.

Durant said he hasn’t chosen a new agency and that he and his brother, Tony Durant, will handle those duties for now.

The New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Feb. 6, through Sunday, Feb. 12.

Lin led the Knicks to a 4-0 week, averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals. His 109 points over his first four career starts are the most by any player since 1976-77, and he became the first player in NBA history to tally at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts. Lin scored a career-high 38 points on Feb. 10, in a 92-85 win over the Lakers.

Westbrook helped the Thunder to a 3-1 week, averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals. Westbrook scored 28 or more points in all four of Oklahoma City’s games, and posted one double-double (28 points, 11 rebounds) on Feb. 6, in a 111-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Westbrook connected on a career-high 15 field goals on Feb. 9, during a 106-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Scott Brooks and his Oklahoma City coaching staff will guide the Western Conference All-Stars on February 26th at Amway Center in Orlando.

With Oklahoma City’s 101-87 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday, the Thunder (21-6, .778) have clinched the best record in the conference through games played February 15.

The Thunder committed 23 turnovers in a 106-101 loss to Sacramento on Thursday.

"It's unbelievable," said coach Scott Brooks, shaking his head at his team's turnover total that now stands at 441 through 26 games.

Oklahoma City leads the league in turnover percentage (the percentage of possessions that result in a turnover) at 16 percent.

"This can't continue to happen," Brooks said.

The NBA announced the reserves for the 2012 All-Star Game on Thursday.

Joining LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony on the Eastern Conference team are Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Roy Hibbert, Andre Iguodala, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams.

Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Andrew Bynum and Kevin Durant will have LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Kevin Love, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook on their Western Conference team.

James Harden is believed to be a solid candidate to earn a spot as a reserve in the All-star game when the announcement is formally made Thursday.

"Oh yeah, definitely -- yes, sir," he said when asked if he should be an All-Star. "I'm not confident, though. I can't control that. I'll just keep playing hard, winning basketball games and having fun with my guys."

This season has been a big improvement for Harden in several offensive areas, including scoring average, shooting percentage, and free throw attempts.

"[Harden] is playing as well as any guard in this league, and he plays for the team," coach Scott Brooks said. "He's averaging 17-18 points a game, but he's consistent. He defends. He rebounds. He makes plays for his teammates. He's playing at an All-Star level. But there are so many good players, and there are only 12 spots. It's such a select group."

Kevin Durant finished with 33 points, including the go-ahead bucket with 14.2 seconds remaining in a 119-116 win over the Warriors Tuesday night.

Durant also had a game-deciding three-pointer against Dallas on Dec. 29 and a dunk with 2.9 seconds left in an overtime victory Monday night at Portland.

The Thunder, 20-5 overall, is now 6-1 in games decided by four points or less.