NBA All-Star Weekend Betting Guide
NBA Rising Stars Showcase:
Team Mitch (+160 BetMgm)
* Toumani Camara, Portland Trail Blazers (replaces Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets)
* Bub Carrington
* Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
* Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
* Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
* Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
* Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons (replaces Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs)
Team Chris (+230 BetMgm)
* Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
* Ryan Dunn, Phoenix Suns (replaces Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers)
* Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
* Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
* Trayce Jackson-Davis, Golden State Warriors
* Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
* Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Team Tim (+350 BetMgm)
* Anthony Black, Orlando Magic (replaces Derek Lively II, Dallas Mavericks)
* Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic
* Gradey Dick, Toronto Raptors
* Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
* Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
* Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
* Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors (replaces Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Team Jeremy (+350 BetMgm)
* JD Davison, Maine Celtics
* Mac McClung, Osceola Magic
* Bryce McGowens, Rip City Remix
* Leonard Miller, Iowa Wolves
* Dink Pate, Mexico City Capitanes
* Reed Sheppard, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
* Pat Spencer, Santa Cruz Warriors
The Rising Stars Challenge is my favorite event to watch. These are the guys who are at the weekend trying to play hard and make a name for themselves in front of everyone. I would lean Team Mitch(+160 BetMgm) for this event, but here are a few players to keep an eye on. Dink Pate is the youngest player in the G-League and applied for last year's Draft but wasn't accepted. Jaylen Wells from the Memphis Grizzlies has a game that doesn't match a Rookie; he plays under great control and with so much poise. Tristan Da Silva from the Magic is going to fly under the radar for a lot of people, but not me. He does everything correctly and is a bigger guy in an event with not too many big men. And for the last team, I would say the Thompson twins, but that's too obvious, so I'll go with Scoot. He hasn't quite hit his expectations, but he's trending in the right direction, and I hope he uses this event as a springboard to a great 2nd half of the season.
Skills Challenge
Team Cavs: Donovan Mitchell & Evan Mobley (+200 BetMGM)
Team Rooks: Zacharie Risacher & Alex Sarr (+375 BetMGM)
Team Spurs: Chris Paul & Victor Wembanyama (+200 BetMGM)
Team Warriors: Draymond Green & Moses Moody (+280 BetMGM)
I have no analysis for this one, so I'll probably just bet on Draymond Green and Team Warriors.
Slam Dunk Contest:
* Mac McClung (-210 BetMgm)
* Andre Jackson Jr (+500 BetMgm)
* Stephon Castle (+800 BetMgm)
* Matas Buzelis (+700 BetMgm)
I have no idea who's going to win this, but I do think that someone will beat Mac this time, so he doesn't win again. So I'll ride with the Chicago kid since I'm from the area. Andre Jackson was also on Shaqtin a Fool where he blew a fastbreak dunk so he might be trying hard for this.
Sunday Night All-Star Game:
* Team Chuck: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo (Trae Young), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun, Karl Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell (+150 BetMgm)
* Team Kenny: Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr, Jalen Williams, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Tyler Herro (+350 BetMgm)
* Team Shaq: Lebron James, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis (Kyrie Irving), Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Jaylen Brown (+170 BetMgm)
For this, I almost know for a fact Team Shaq and Team Chuck will meet in the final because they by far have the best two rosters. So I would Pick between the two. I would also put a sprinkle on Wemby to win All-Star MVP (+900 BetMgm) and become the youngest to ever do it.
Three-Point Contest:
* Jalen Brunson (+700 BetMgm)
* Cade Cunningham (+1000 BetMgm)
* Darius Garland (+850 BetMgm)
* Tyler Herro (+550 BetMgm)
* Buddy Hield (+500 BetMgm)
* Cam Johnson (+800 BetMgm)
* Damian Lillard (+400 BetMgm)
* Norman Powell (+550 BetMgm)
My best pick for this would be Dame chasing the 3-peat, which would be the 1st one since 1990, and he’s from the Bay Area, so it makes a lot of sense. Norman Powell is the biggest All-Star Snub, in my opinion, and Cam Johnson is also a good choice since I'm a Nets fan. I am one of those people who thinks that this should end the night after the last few years of lackluster Dunk Contest. So I'm looking forward to this more than anything else.
Notable Betting Nuggets:
* Thompson Twins, Lillard Are from the area
* Curry Playing in his home arena
