Luka Doncic says Damian Lillard deserved All-Star game spot over him

The All-Star voting has finished recently, and both the Western and Eastern Conference starters have been announced. Disappointingly for Portland Trail Blazers fans, Damian Lillard has missed out on a starting berth.

In an amazing twist, Luka Doncic had more final fan votes than Lillard, but Lillard was voted ahead of Luka in both the media and player vote. Because the fan vote carries a higher weighting, Luka got the nod for the starting spot.

The below graphic illustrates the voting disparity and the strange way the voting works when totaled up.

Luka Doncic says Damian Lillard deserved All-Star game spot over him

Interestingly, when quizzed on the All-Star voting results by Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Luka said he thought Lillard deserved to start over him.

"“I didn’t expect that I was going to start this game. I know that maybe [Damian] Lillard deserved it more than me.”"

Luka hasn’t had a bad year, but he doesn’t have the team record or individual excellence that Lillard has shown this year. Here’s a breakdown of their numbers and team record.

Damian Lillard team record 18 – 10.  29.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists.

45 percent from the field, 38 percent from three, 93 percent from the line.

Luka Doncic team record 13 – 15. 29.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.4 assists.

47 percent from the field, 33 percent from three, 79 percent from the line.

When you compare these numbers, along with Dame’s crazy clutch play, it’s clear that he has had a better individual year. Unfortunately, with the way the vote is weighted, Dame was the loser on this occasion. He will instead be the first back-court selection on the Western reserves.