The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokić and Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headline the leaders in the third update for the fan vote in the 2025 NBA All-Star race.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James overtook the Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant for the second spot among Western Conference forwards, while Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry continues to hold off the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Dončić in second.

The starting lineups for the East and West are comprised of two backcourt players and three frontcourt players. Here's who has the inside track on those 10 spots based on the fan vote:

Eastern Conference

• Backcourt: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers 
• Frontcourt: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics; Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Western Conference

• Backcourt: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• Frontcourt: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers; Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

Antetokounmpo earned more votes (3,489,956) than any other player despite the Bucks having a relatively rough start to the season. Milwaukee is fourth in the East at 22-17 but would be much worse without The Greek Freak in the lineup.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.3 points and 11.8 rebounds, and he's dishing out six-plus assists for the second time in his career. The 6'11" forward has been performing at an MVP-type level to keep the Bucks in the top six in the East.

The same holds true for Jokić in terms of his value to the Nuggets. Based on the early straw poll conducted by ESPN's Tim Bontemps in December, the Serbian center is heading toward a fourth MVP in five years.

Jokić is posting career highs in scoring average (30.6 points) and assists (9.9 per game) while hauling in 13.2 boards. He continues to raise the bar higher and higher on the court.

One of the bigger talking points from the first two rounds of voting returns was Ball's position among East guards.

The 23-year-old is averaging 29.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists, so the production is unquestionably there.

Ball isn't yet widely considered an elite backcourt talent, though, and his numbers are undoubtedly inflated a bit because he's the best player on a woeful Hornets team. Charlotte owns the league's third-worst record (9-28).

To the extent that being an All-Star starter matters and should be based on merit, plenty of fans will take issue if Ball remains one of the top two guards in the East.

This is where it's important to note that fan voting is only one portion of the All-Star formula. Thursday's results will account for 50 percent of the total vote, with players and members of a select media panel each receiving a 25 percent share.

Last year, the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young finished second in the East backcourt fan voting but tied for the fourth-highest overall score because he voted sixth by the players and media.

With Ball, it's easy to picture an even wider gulf between how he ranks within the respective groups.

The starters will be announced Jan. 23 on TNT with the reserves to follow a week later.