NBA All-Star Weekend best bets: Rising Stars odds, picks, predictions

NBA All-Star Weekend returns to Indianapolis for the first time since 1985, when the Pacers tied with the Warriors for the worst record at 22-60. 

This time around, there’ll be even more to celebrate, given that Indiana’s flourishing young team ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference while leading the league in scoring with 123.7 points per game.

The NBA’s All-Star festivities are probably the best of any professional sport because the league has always been creative in developing new competitions to keep fans engaged.

These competitions naturally capture the eye of the betting public, with some sportsbooks bold enough to race to the front of the line to offer odds on the events.

FanDuel and BetMGM currently have odds available, while others will likely join the fray as the markets settle.

We can find odds on the Panini Rising Stars, Kia Skills Challenge, Starry 3-Point Contest and even the Stephen (Curry) vs. Sabrina (Ionescu) 3-Point Challenge. 

One of the earlier opening numbers for the dunk contest had McClung as the favorite at +150, but that number ballooned to as high as -225. 

(9 p.m. ET Friday, TNT)

This is a four-team, seven-player tournament-style competition led by four basketball legends: Pau Gasol (Team Pau), Tamika Catchings (Team Tamika), Jalen Rose (Team Jalen) and Detlef Schrempf (Team Detlef). 

Three of the four teams feature a combination of the NBA’s best rookies and sophomores, whereas the fourth team will have only G-League players.

Each game will have an Elam-style ending, with the first two played to 40 points and the third to 25.

Given the unique format, I’m placing a greater emphasis on perimeter shooting, and Jalen Williams might be the best marksman in the competition.

Williams is shooting 45.3% from the perimeter and will play alongside his Thunder teammate Chet Holmgren (39.3%).

Team Jalen is catching 2.5 points as underdogs against Team Tamika — perhaps because the latter features the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama. 

However, Team Jalen also has Wembanyama’s San Antonio teammate, Jeremy Sochan, who might be familiar with trying to slow down the Frenchman since he faces him in practice.

As a result, I’ll take the points here with Team Jalen, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to win outright.

Pick: Team Jalen +2.5 (-110, FanDuel)