WNBA to Experiment With 20-second Shot Clock at All-Star

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The WNBA is adding a few experimental rules to the All-Star Game on Saturday.

The teams will play with a 20-second shot clock instead of the usual 24. The shorter shot clock shouldn't be a major issue because it's an All-Star Game and the pace of play is extremely quick to begin with. The league also is adding a hockey-style live substitution rule. Each team will be allowed once per quarter to have a player sub in on offense. The substitution may only be made by the team on offense and a player can't substitute for the person holding the ball. There will be a check-in spot near midcourt on the sideline where the player checking into the game must stand. The player leaving the court my tag the player coming in to prevent more than five players being on the court at any time.

There will still be normal substitutions during game stoppages.

This isn't the first time that the league has done experimental things in the All-Star Game. The WNBA used a referee's camera in the 2013 game, which had debuted a month earlier in a regular-season contest. The league also had a camera on the court during free throws in another All-Star contest. The league will look for feedback from the players and coaches in the game to get their feelings on the shorter shot clock and the substitution rule.

The league held a live draft of the All-Star teams on Tuesday night and had the first trades in All-Star Game history with the two coaches trading teams as well as Team Delle Donne trading Napheesa Collier to Team Wilson for Tina Charles. Captain Elena Delle Donne said she wanted to make the deal to let Collier play with her Minnesota Lynx teammates.