Yao Still Leads O’Neal as the Top Vote-Getter

Yao Ming leads Shaquille O’Neal by more than 50,000 votes in the race for the No. 1 overall spot in the final days of NBA All-Star balloting.

With voting closing Sunday, Houston Rocket center Yao had 2,153,039 votes to lead the Western Conference, while the Miami Heat’s O’Neal topped the Eastern Conference with 2,099,201.

Yao’s teammate Tracy McGrady leads West guards with 1,688,159 votes, and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is next with 1,551,177.

The closest race through Thursday was for the second forward spot in the East. New Jersey’s Vince Carter had 1,505,169 votes, followed by Orlando’s Grant Hill with 1,273,846 and Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal with 1,167,698.

The All-Star starters will be announced Feb. 3. The game is Feb. 20 in Denver.

Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett is third overall, leading West forwards with 1,755,124 votes, followed by San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (1,446,824).

In the East, Cleveland’s LeBron James (1,351,369) edged back ahead of Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson (1,341,824) among guards.

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Denver Nugget forward Carmelo Anthony may not return tonight against Memphis despite the swelling in his sprained right ankle being nearly gone, preferring to wait a few more days.

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Dallas Maverick Coach Don Nelson had surgery to repair an almost completely torn right rotator cuff. He is expected to miss two to three weeks.

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McGrady is being sued for unspecified damages by maintenance worker Fred Chamberlin, 57, who lost the tip of his nose when it was bitten off by the player’s Rottweiler Aug. 25 in Orlando, Fla.... Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko went through a full practice for the first time since spraining his right knee Nov. 27 and hoped to return to the lineup Saturday against Memphis.... A deal releasing $6.5 million in city money for the New Orleans Hornets’ proposed new downtown training center should end speculation about the team’s being lured away, owner George Shinn said.