Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota Timberwolves rookie guard Ricky Rubio is third among Western Conference guards in votes received (248,423) and forward Kevin Love is fifth among Western Conference forwards in votes received (232,656) after the second returns in the 2012 NBA All-Star Balloting program.

Rubio is averaging 10.7 points and 8.3 assists in the first 14 games of his rookie season. He is tied for second in the league in point/assist double-doubles with five and ranks eighth in the NBA, and first among rookies, in assists per game. Rubio ranks first in the NBA in total steals (32) and third in steals per game (2.29).

Love, who leads the NBA with 14 double-doubles, is averaging 25.2 points and 14.2 rebounds per game, ranking fourth and second, respectively, in those categories. The NBA's Most Improved Player in 2011, Love is leading the league in minutes per game (39.9) and is second in free throws made (105).

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Western Conference, while Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls top the Eastern Conference after the second returns of 2012 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint. Howard is the overall leader with 1,161,797 votes.

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game, which will air live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages, will be played at Amway Center in Orlando on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

Bryants 1,110,379 votes leads Western Conference guards, with the Los Angeles Clippers Chris Paul placing second (835,026). Durants 973,152 votes lead forwards in the West, with Blake Griffin of the Clippers next in line with 619,913 votes. The Lakers Andrew Bynum paces Western Conference centers with 777,365 votes, followed by the Clippers DeAndre Jordan (214,883).

Howard paces centers in the East, followed by the Chicago Bulls Joakim Noah (141,683). James leads Eastern Conference forwards with 972,580 votes, followed by Carmelo Anthony (779,945) of the New York Knicks. Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls leads Eastern Conference guards,followed by Miamis Dwyane Wade (972,015).

2012 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint gives fans around the world the opportunity to vote daily for their favorite players as starters for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. There are several ways fans can cast their votes as part of this seasons all-digital program, including in 16 languages on NBA.com or by visiting m.NBA.com on any wireless carrier. Fans also can vote through mobile phones by texting the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA") in the U.S. and to 3-8-6-5-7 ("DUNKS") in Canada. Sprint customers in the U.S. can also access the ballot and vote through the new Sprint NBA Mobile application, the most comprehensive app in the marketplace for NBA fans.

2012 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint also includes expanded SMS voting. Fans can now vote for 10 different players per day, per phone number, via SMS voting by sending 10 separate SMS messages, each one with a different player's last name. Fans can vote for All-Stars via SMS at any time by texting from their mobile phones. Message and data rates may apply. Previously, fans could cast one SMS vote for one player per day.

Fans can vote directly on NBA.com or use their Facebook profile information to help create an NBA.com All-Access account, which enables them to complete a ballot. After submitting their All-Star selections, fans will have the ability to share them with their friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter, and encourage others to cast their ballots.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Kevin Durant (OKC) 973,152; Blake Griffin (LAC) 619,913; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 354,434; Pau Gasol (LAL) 327,596; Kevin Love (Min) 232,656; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 188,829; Tim Duncan (SA) 133,575; Lamar Odom (Dal) 96,080; Metta World Peace (LAL) 63,055; Danilo Gallinari (Den) 59,646.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,110,379; Chris Paul (LAC) 835,026; Ricky Rubio (Min) 248,423; Steve Nash (Pho) 188,537; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 167,996; Kyle Lowry (Hou) 132,972; Monta Ellis (GS) 105,926; Manu Ginobili (SA) 79,821; Jason Kidd (Dal) 79,783; Chauncey Billups (LAC) 73,429.

Centers: Andrew Bynum (LAL) 777,365; DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 214,883; Marc Gasol (Mem) 182,992; Nenê (Den) 144,066; Marcin Gortat (Pho) 92,511; Kendrick Perkins (OKC) 66,380.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Mia) 972,580; Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 779,945; Amare Stoudemire (NYK) 281,617; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 268,980; Chris Bosh (Mia) 209,640; Luol Deng (Chi) 166,671; Paul Pierce (Bos) 145,077; Carlos Boozer (Chi) 101,612; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 93,456; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 80,694.

Guards: Derrick Rose (Chi) 1,040,210; Dwyane Wade (Mia) 972,015; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 394,672; Ray Allen (Bos) 274,233; Deron Williams (NJN) 143,941; Jose Calderon (Tor) 84,881; Richard Hamilton (Chi) 64,757; John Wall (Was) 61,160; Kyrie Irving (Cle) 53,300; Joe Johnson (Atl) 40,718.

Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 1,161,797; Joakim Noah (Chi) 141,683; Tyson Chandler (NYK) 107,735; Joel Anthony (Mia) 67,210; JaVale McGee (Was) 41,249; Al Horford (Atl) 35,860.

Contact information:

Mike Cristaldi, Minnesota Timberwolves, (612) 673-8405, cristaldi@timberwolves.com

Aaron Seehusen, Minnesota Timberwolves, (612) 673-1602, seehusen@timberwolves.com

Dan Bell, Minnesota Timberwolves, (612) 673-1603, bell@timberwolves.com

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