NBA All-Star Weekend odds, picks: Mac McClung favored to defend Slam Dunk Contest crown
NBA All-Star Weekend is here. I’m still recuperating from the Super Bowl and Indianapolis is no Las Vegas, but there will be plenty of action, both on the courts and at sportsbooks, which have odds for everything your heart desires.
Friday will showcase the Celebrity Game and Rising Stars Challenge while the NBA All-Star Game will be on Sunday. I am going to focus on the Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest, which will be the main attractions on Saturday.
Slam Dunk Contest
Odds from BetMGM.
Mac McClung won this contest last year and is looking to go back-to-back. Four have accomplished the feat: Michael Jordan (1987, 1988), Jason Richardson (2002, 2003), Nate Robinson (2009, 2010) and Zach LaVine (2015, 2016).
McClung is 6-foot-2. Out of the 30 players who have won the Slam Dunk Contest, only Dee Brown (6-foot-1), Nate Robinson (5-foot-9) and Spud Webb (5-foot-6) were shorter.
If y’all forgot:
Those aren’t cheapies and that’s why he’s heavily favored to win. I’m questioning the 43.5-inch vertical jump he posted at the G League draft combine. I’m thinking that number is a few inches short.
To be the champ, you have to beat the champ. Let’s look at this year’s contenders.
He’s 6-foot-8 and has a 45-inch vertical jump. His brother Obi won it in 2022.
Click on the top right clip and check out the backwards 360 while placing the ball through the legs from back to front flush. Usually most go front to back through the legs. That is an insane dunk. His +500 odds are looking mighty juicy.
Brown is 6-foot-6 and has a 43-inch vertical jump. He’s explosive and has shown great in-game dunks. Will the creativity be there and what does he have in the bag? I’d rather have Toppin at +500 than Brown at +525.
Jaquez Jr. is 6-foot-6 and has a 39-inch vertical jump. It would be easy to dismiss him, but digging up old dunk competitions on YouTube shows that Jaquez has ups and creativity. Not sure he has enough, though, to take down the defending champ and Toppin.
Six of the past 30 champions were 6-foot-6 while two were 6-foot-8. I think the crowd and judges are more partial towards the shorter players because it looks more impressive when they flush it. That said, tall, lanky guys who can jump like fleas can sometimes do incomprehensible things.
3-Point Contest
Damian Lillard won this contest last year and is also looking to go back-to-back. There have been six who have accomplished the feat: Larry Bird (1986, 1987, 1988), Craig Hodges (1990, 1991, 1992), Mark Price (1993, 1994), Jeff Hornacek (1998, 2000; no All-Star Game was held in 1999), Peja Stojaković (2002, 2003) and Jason Kapono (2007, 2008). Lillard is a career 37 percent shooter from downtown, although he’s down at 34 percent this season. This will be his fourth time competing.
Lillard is favored to repeat, but is not the prohibitive favorite like McClung.
Towns is a career 40 percent shooter from downtown and is at a career-high 43 percent this season. He won this competition in 2022, so he is well-versed in the format and pressure. One thing that draws me to Towns is that his shot in the competition isn’t too different from how he shoots in the game. Most of the guards get elevation and have to dial that down.
Beasley is a 38 percent career shooter from downtown and is at a career-best 44 percent this season. He’s been known to be a bit streaky, so relying on him for two rounds may be tough to swallow. That said, he has the third-lowest odds and there are two sides to streaks, so if he goes on a heater, it wouldn’t surprise me.
One must factor in that he often shoots closer to the halfcourt line than the 3-point line. Like Towns, Young has more of a set shot than a jump shot. This will be his third time in the contest. Third time was the charm for Lillard! Young finished second in 2022. I’d much rather have Young at +600 than Beasley at +575.
Haliburton lost to Lillard last year. In the opening round, he tied the record with 31 points. No player has ever won this competition on their home court, so Haliburton will be trying to make history.
Markkanen competed in this event last season. He had 20 points in the opening round.
This will be Brunson’s first time in the contest and first time at All-Star Weekend. There have been 12 players who won the competition in their first attempt.
Mitchell is probably the one I worry about most when it comes to form. He usually likes to get elevation on his shot. That said, I have seen him shoot more flat-footed at times. This will be his second appearance in this contest. Back in 2021, he finished fourth.
