How to vote for Nikola Vucevic in the NBA All-Star Game

NBA All-Star Game voting is open Christmas Day. A new sponsor means a new way to vote. And a strong starts put Nikola Vucevic with a chance to make it.

The Orlando Magic’s surprise start to the season and presence in the Playoff race will put them in a position they have not been in quite some time — the possibility of having a NBA All-Star.

Almost all of the team’s chances of landing a player in the All-Star Game will fall on the conference’s coaches. The team does not have the top-end stars to get one of the coveted starting spots.

But that is OK. Voting is half the battle and half the fun of the All-Star Game. And with the Magic playing so well to start the season, the All-Star buzz for this team is real for Nikola Vucevic.

So what can you do to help him get to the All-Star Game? Vote, of course.

All-Star voting tips off Christmas Day at 11 a.m. ahead of the league’s five Christmas Day games. No, the Magic will not be participating in them once again this year. That is reserved for the marquee teams — and the New York Knicks. So the team is out of sight, out of mind.

But for fans, it is time to stuff the ballot boxes.

This year, All-Star voting is sponsored by Google (rest in peace #NBAVote on Twitter). So fans will log their votes based on their Google searches. They can also vote on the Google Assistant device and on NBA.com.

To vote on Google, type in “NBA Vote” or “NBA All-Star Vote” with the player’s name or simply search the player or team to log a vote. Fans can submit up to 10 votes on unique players each day. Fans can also fill out one full ballot per day on NBA.com and through the NBA App.

For heady voters, there will also be 2-for-1 voting days where votes will count double. Those take place, Jan. 3, 4, 10, 11 and 21. So definitely get those votes in there.

For the Magic, Nikola Vucevic has emerged as the team’s best et for an All-Star. He leads the team in scoring with 20.1 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game. He is one of the best passing big men in the league with 3.6 assists per game. His play has been revelatory for the team so far.

With no other player contributing consistently on offense and defense, Vucevic will be the player the team should push for an All-Star bid. Although surely Aaron Gordon will get more than a few votes — and probably the hope he will go for another run at the dunk contest.

Of course, whether Vucevic makes the team or not is more dependent on how the Magic perform more than anything else. Coaches reward players on winning teams. So if Orlando continues to slide out of the Playoffs — they have lost six of the last eight games to fall 1.5 games out of the final Playoff spot — it becomes a whole lot harder for Vucevic to get in.

If the Magic are in the Playoff race when the coaches make their votes for the reserves, Vucevic’s chances go way up.

The All-Star starters will be announced on TNT on Jan. 24. The league will announce the reserves on Jan. 31 on TNT. Like last year, the top vote-getter from each conference will be the captain and pick from the player pool of All-Star selections. The draft this year will be televised live.

The NBA All-Star Game will take place from Charlotte on Feb. 17. Happy voting!