National Basketball Association

Celts' Rondo named All-Star replacement

Published Feb. 22, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo got a strange combination from the NBA on his 26th birthday.

Rondo was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team Wednesday night, replacing injured Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson. However, he was out of the Celtics' lineup for a game at Oklahoma City while serving the second game of a two-game suspension.

Coach Doc Rivers joked that, ''When you get named to the All-star, you should take one game of suspension away.''

Instead, he pointed out, Rondo will be paying fines to the league.

Rondo averages 14.8 points and is second in the NBA with 9.5 assists per game.

The league also announced that Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant will compete in the 3-point contest for the first time, replacing Johnson.