IN BRIEF : Magic Leads West in All-Star Vote

Magic Johnson, the all-time leader in assists in All-Star competition, leads the vote-getters in fan balloting for the starting Western Conference team for this season’s NBA All-Star Game.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ guard, who has 111 assists in eight All-Star games, has received 248,468 votes, according to figures released today by the league.

Portland’s Clyde Drexler, with 116,837 votes, was second among the West guards. Denver’s Alex English, a seven-time All-Star, was the leader among West forwards with 134,467 votes, followed by Utah’s Karl Malone, with 111,574. At center, Akeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets was the leader with 166,832 votes. Balloting continues through mid-January. The game will be played Feb. 12 at the Houston Astrodome.