Welcome to NBA All-Star week.

There’s a lot going on over the next seven days. Grab a coffee & check out our daily planner ready to get it started right.

THE LINEUP 🏀

1. ⭐ Welcome to All-Star week
2. 🏀 Wolves-Clippers showdown
3. 🔥 Sunday Ws for BOS + OKC
4. ⏪ Weekend rewind
5. 📸 Photos of the week

NBA TV Doubleheader: Two of the past three NBA champs meet in Milwaukee (8 ET) as the 2021 champion Bucks host the 2023 champion Nuggets. That’s followed by a No. 1 vs. No. 2 West showdown between the Wolves and Clippers at 10:30 ET (see Section 2).

1. WELCOME TO NBA ALL-STAR WEEK

The basketball world descends on Indianapolis this weekend for three jam-packed days of festivities in celebration of the game and its brightest stars. Even the airport is ready for some hoops.

But before the All-Stars, Rising Stars, 3-point shooters, dunkers, playmakers, celebrities and fans head to Indy, there’s still some business to attend to over the next few days.

Let’s run it down:

Monday: A battle of top two teams in the West commences as the Wolves visit the Clippers. Dive into this matchup in Section 2. ⬇️

Tuesday: The Suns host the Kings (10 ET, TNT) in a matchup of teams separated by a half-game in the West. Plus, the Bucks host the Heat (8 ET, NBA App) looking to go 3-0 against the team that ended their 2023 Playoffs in the first round.

The Magic retire their first number — Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 — when Orlando hosts the Thunder (7:30 ET, TNT).

It’s also the last chance to vote for which player shoots first between Steph and Sabrina.

Wednesday: The Warriors (who open the week on a four-game win streak) host the Clippers (the best team in the NBA since Dec. 1 at 27-6).

Pascal Siakam plays his first game in Toronto since being traded to the Pacers (7:30 ET, NBA App).

Thursday: The Blazers host the Wolves (10 ET, NBA App) in the final game before the All-Star break.

Friday: The All-Star festivities begin with the Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game (7 ET, ESPN) as Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe coach rosters stacked with pop culture icons ready to show off their skills on the hardwood … make that the new interactive LED court in its debut event at Lucas Oil Stadium.

That is followed by the Panini Rising Stars – the NBA’s annual showcase of premier young talent – as four teams comprised of top NBA rookies, sophomores and G League players compete in a three-game mini-tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (9 ET, TNT).

Saturday: State Farm All-Saturday Night brings together the NBA’s biggest stars in a celebration of the skills that make the NBA great. Always one of the most eagerly anticipated nights on the NBA calendar, this year includes four events  —  all on the LED courts at Lucas Oil:

• ⛹️ Kia Skills Challenge: A trio of three-man squads – Team Pacers, Team Top Picks and Team All-Stars – will compete in a relay-style competition of dribbling, passing and shooting
• 💦 Starry 3-Point Contest: Can Damian Lillard successfully defend his 3-point crown against seven other competitors led by 2022 champ Karl-Anthony Towns, along with Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young?
• 3️⃣ Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge: The first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge has the NBA 3-point king Steph Curry taking on Sabrina Ionescu, who put together the greatest round in 3-point contest history last summer
• 💥 AT&T Slam Dunk: Defending champ Mac McClung is back to try to put on a sequel to his blockbuster debut in 2023. He’ll have to compete against Jaylen Brown, Jacob Tobbin and Jaime Jaquez Jr., who gave us a dunk contest preview on Sunday

Sunday: The 73rd NBA All-Star Game (8 ET, TNT) returns to the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It will be the record 20th All-Star appearance for LeBron James, while four East players make their All-Star debuts: Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey.

2. WEST LEADERS CLASH IN LA TONIGHT

The top four spots in the Western Conference have looked like a game of musical chairs over the past three weeks with the Wolves, Clippers, Thunder and Nuggets jockeying for the top spot while being separated by a half game entering Monday.

Three of the four teams take the court Monday, including a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with Minnesota visiting LA (10:30 ET, NBA TV) in the second of four head-to-head matchups this season.

With the race being so tight for so long, it’s not too early to start thinking about the importance of tiebreakers.

• Wolves: 2-2 vs. OKC (complete), 1-0 vs. LAC (3 to play), 1-0 vs. DEN (3 to play)
• Clippers: 1-2 vs. DEN (1 to play), 1-1 vs. OKC (1 to play), 0-1 vs. MIN (3 to play)
• Thunder: 3-1 vs. DEN (complete), 2-2 vs. MIN (complete), 1-1 vs. LAC (1 to play)
• Nuggets: 1-3 vs. OKC (complete), 2-1 vs. LAC (1 to play), 0-1 vs. MIN (3 to play)

Strength Vs. Strength: The Wolves bring the league’s top-ranked defense (108.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) into the matchup against the league’s third-ranked offense (119.8 points scored per 100 possessions).

• Defense Won Round One: The Wolves held the Clippers to 105 points in their win on Jan. 14 in Minnesota. The Clippers are 4-11 this season when being held below 110 points
• Clippers Duo: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are eighth in offensive rating (122.7) for a two-man lineup (min. 44 games)
• Pair Of Wolves: Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns are 13th in defensive rating (108.6) for a two-man lineup (min. 50 games)
• Ant-Man: Edwards scored 33 in Minnesota’s win on Jan. 14. It was his best scoring game against the Clippers in 11 career games. He enters Monday ranked 13th in scoring (25.9 ppg).

3. CELTICS, THUNDER WIN ON SUPER SUNDAY

Celtics Complete Season Sweep Of Heat: The Celtics got a combined 51 points from Jayson Tatum (26 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) and Kristaps Porzingis (25 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk) and held off a late Miami rally for the 110-106 win to complete the 3-0 season sweep of their playoff nemesis.

• Clutch Time: Jaylen Brown (20 pts) and Tyler Herro (24 pts) went back and forth down the stretch
• On Repeat: Porzingis scored four of his 11 first-quarter points on back-to-back alley-oops
• Tatum’s Assessment: “We’re better than last year at this point”

38 For 38 For SGA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 38 points for his league-leading 38th game with 30+ points this season to lead the Thunder to a 127-113 win over the Kings. Jalen Williams added 32 for OKC, which never trailed after the first quarter.

• Another Triple-Double: Domantas Sabonis (21 pts, 11 reb, 14 ast) posted his league-leading 17th triple-double of the season. It’s his fourth in the last five games
• Fantastic Finishes: Malik Monk pulled off a midair hand switch for two of his team-high 26. SGA got free on the backdoor cut and threw down the two-handed slam

Top Plays: Check out this over-the-backboard floater from Caleb Martin to beat the shot clock and the rest of NBA.com’s top five plays.

4. WEEKEND REWIND 

Friday

• Lakers Starters Roll: In L.A.’s win over New Orleans, all five members of the Lakers’ starting five scored at least 20 points – something that had not been done in an NBA game in over three decades (Jan. 26, 1993)
• Sabonis Passes Jokic: In addition to the Kings beating the Nuggets, Domantas Sabonis took over the league lead in triple-doubles with his 16th of the season (and pushed it to 17 on Sunday)
• Trade Deadline Debuts: Buddy Hield and Cam Payne each scored 20 in their first game as Sixers, but it was spoiled by Trae Young (77th career 30-10 game, fifth most ever) and the Hawks. Pat Bev had six points, four assists, and one coaching moment in his Bucks debut to help Doc Rivers reach 8th all-time in coaching wins
• The North Loves FVV: Despite being sidelined with an injury, Fred VanVleet received a standing ovation and a tribute video in his first trip back to Toronto

Saturday

• Steph’s Latest Signature Moment: Down two with 3.3 seconds to play, Curry corralled the inbounds pass while facing the opposite basket, and in one motion, turned and fired a 33-footer that splashed through with 0.7 seconds left to lift the Warriors to a win over the Suns. It was Curry’s league-leading 10th game-winner in the final five seconds since 2013
• “It’s A Dream Come True As A Dad.” Another Curry moment – this time in Charlotte – as Seth Curry made his Hornets debut wearing the No. 30, the same number his father, Dell, wore during his 10-year run in Charlotte. Seth only hit one bucket on Saturday, but being a Curry, it had to be a 3
• Cavs Push Win Streak To Nine: Cleveland joined the Magic, Knicks and Clippers as the only teams with a nine-game win streak this season. They’ll try to be the first to reach 10 in a row when they host the Sixers tonight
• More Post-Deadline Debuts: Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington combined for 33 points in their Dallas debut as the Mavs beat the Thunder. Dennis Schroder had 15 points and 12 dimes (including a buzzer-beating alley-oop to Nic Claxton off an inbound) in his Nets debut as they beat the Spurs. Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks combined for 33 in their Knicks debut, in a loss to the Pacers

5. A FEW FAVORITE 📸 FROM THE WEEK

The Kobe Bryant statue is unveiled in LA

Jayson Tatum looks on against Atlanta

Malik Monk gets up for the dunk

Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson congratulate Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier and Mike Breen on 25 years of broadcasting

Ben Simmons drops a dime to Nic Claxton

Steph Curry for the win

Josh Green goes all out for the save

Jonathan Isaac from overhead

Russell Westbrook with the jam

Payton Pritchard gets the TD Garden crowd going