Kevin Durant trails only Kobe Bryant in total Western Conference votes after the third returns of this year's All-Star balloting. The game is scheduled to be played at the Staples Center in LA on February 20th.

Bryant, Howard lead All-Star balloting third returns

Durant, 2nd in Western Conference votes, is 5th overall, behind Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard. Durant has nearly eclipsed 1 million votes.

Also competing for an All-Star roster spot is Russell Westbrook, who has the misfortune of playing in the guard-heavy Western Conference. He currently resides 6th in votes for guards. Westbrook does hold on to a sliver of hope though; the coach selected for the All-Star game is the coach that has the best record two weeks' prior to the event. If things stay true to form, this scenario likely means that Spurs coach Greg Popovich will get the nod. Since a coach cannot vote for his own players, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker would be out of the running if they don't garner enough votes on their own. This means that Popovich will have to select from the following cache of guards: Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Westbrook, and Jason Kidd. A tall order, for sure, but not impossible if Popovich has the inkling.

You can vote for your choice of All-Star participants here.