Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get FIRST All-Star selections as reserves

Four players, one from the East and three from the West, were named to their first All-Star teams on Thursday night.

Tyrese Haliburton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr received first-team recognition as a who’s-who of stars rounded out the rest of the reserve lists.

Haliburton is averaging 20.2 points, 10.2 assists and four rebounds per night for Indiana.

Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks fifth in the league in scoring (30.8 ppg), Markkanen (24.9 ppg) is having a career year for a surprisingly competitive Jazz team, and Jackson Jr. (3.3 blocks per game) is one of the frontrunners for Defensive Player of the Year.

Also named reserves in the East were Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle.

Embiid is a genuine MVP candidate for the Sixers averaging 33.5 points and 10.1 rebounds, and many fans disagree that he isn’t a starter.

There were also sources of contention among the reservations.

Pascal Siakam, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson were all ruled out of All-Star selection, which will especially affect the final three as their teams are in playoff position.

Fox is averaging 24.3 points on 50.6 percent shooting from the field for the third-place Kings, and Edwards is having a career year with 24.9 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Brunson, meanwhile, is scoring 22.8 points a night along with 6.2 assists for the seventh-ranked Knicks.

James Harden and Anthony Davis have also had solid seasons, but extended injury absences for each likely led to their sitting out.

Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo were previously named as the East’s top five.

In the west, Ja Morant, Domantas Sabonis, Paul George and Damian Lillard were also named as reserves.

LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Zion Williamson, Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic were previously announced as the West starters.