This weekend in San Francisco, we will get the 74th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, along with all of the contests and festivities that happen over the two days of celebrating the best in basketball.
On Saturday, there is the Skills Challenge, followed by the 3-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Competition, which closes out the night. Then on Sunday, it’s a new-formatted All-Star Game, which is more of an All-Star mini-tournament this year.
On Friday night, there is a Rising Stars competition, and the winning team there will join three other teams of All-Stars on Sunday. After two semifinals of teams playing to 40 points (no clock will be used), the winners will meet for the All-Star Game Championship.
Skills Challenge Odds
Team Spurs (+165)
Team Cavs (+190)
Team Warriors (+425)
Team Rooks (+425)
Team Spurs is made up of Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama, Team Cavs is Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, Team Warriors is Draymond Green and Moses Moody, and Team Rooks is Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr. Beyond the participants, the NBA has yet to release the details of the competition.
Three-Point Shooting Contest Odds
Damian Lillard (+400)
Darius Garland (+475)
Norman Powell (+500)
Tyler Herro (+650)
Jalen Brunson (+700)
Buddy Hield (+700)
Cameron Johnson (+750)
Cade Cunningham (+1000)
As a member of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023, Damian Lillard won this competition. In 2024, as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard won it again. A third straight win for Lillard would tie him for the most in history with Larry Bird (1986-88) and Craig Hodges (1990-92).
The only other previous winner in this weekend’s field is Buddy Hield of the Golden State Warriors. He won the event in 2020 as a member of the Sacramento Kings, hitting his final money ball to beat Devin Booker.
Of the players competing on Saturday, Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers has the highest 3-point shooting percentage on the season at 43.8%.
Slam Dunk Contest Odds
Mac McClung (-230)
Stephon Castle (+650)
Andre Jackson Jr. (+650)
Matas Buzelis (+700)
In the early days of the Slam Dunk Contest, the best players in the NBA would compete. Hall of Famers Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Vince Carter were all previous winners.
No one in this field is destined for Hall of Fame enshrinement, but Mac McClung of the Orlando Magic is headed to slam dunking legendary status. He is the two-time defending champion of this competition, and a win this year would make him the first to win three straight. Nate Robinson of the Knicks was a three-time winner in the 2000s, but they did not come back-to-back-to-back.
The judges for this year’s competition are Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady, Baron Davis, and two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson.
NBA All-Star Game Odds
Team Shaq (+180)
Team Chuck (+180)
Team Kenny (+290)
Team Candace (+800)
Shaquille O’Neal will be the coach of the team that features starters LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Jayson Tatum. They are cofavorites with the team coached by Charles Barkley.
Team Chuck’s five starters are Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, and Trae Young.
Kenny Smith has gone much smaller with his team, which features Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Darius Garland, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Tyler Herro.
Candace Parker is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and a three-time WNBA champion, and she will coach the winning team of the Rising Stars competition in the All-Star Game.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
