NBA All-Star Game Odds, Picks, Predictions: Team Giannis or Team LeBron?

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Which All-Star squad will emerge victorious in 2023? Read on for our top All-Star Game NBA picks based on the best NBA odds.

Team Giannis and Team LeBron face off in the 2023 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah to conclude this weekend's festivities. For the last five seasons, the All-Stars have been put in a pool and drafted by the two players with the most All-Star votes (team captains). This year, the captains (Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James) draft shortly before the game rather than make their selections in advance.

Team LeBron won the All-Star Game five straight times, with three of those matchups by 3 points or less and two by at least 14. Team Giannis played Team LeBron twice, losing the 2019 game 178-164 and falling in the 2020 game 157-155 despite leading by 9 at the end of three quarters.

Here are our best NBA All-Star Game picks (odds via BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

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NBA All-Star Game picks

Team LeBron is a small favorite at 2.5 or 3 points, but it's anyone's game. Because rosters aren't pre-determined, wagers are placed essentially blind, with the only relevant information being LeBron's five-game win streak.

Has James been lucky or is he simply good at drafting the best pick-up basketball team? We're not sure, and since there's no tangible advantage for one team or another, bet the moneyline that offers plus-money odds. Early returns indicate bettors favor this wager as well.

Picking the All-Star Game MVP isn't an exact science, however, that doesn't mean there&#3 9;s no suitable data. Only two players in NBA history won the award in back-to-back seasons, and since Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is sidelined, we won't add a player to that list. Over the last 20 seasons, Shaquille O'Neal was the only center to win it, capturing the award outright in 2004 and sharing it with Kobe Bryant in 2009.

For that reason, we'll exclude Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid from consideration, despite him sporting the third or fourth-best odds. James and Antetokounmpo are the favorites, but there's another player that offers a little extra value.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is on a heater, scoring at least 30 points in 16 of his last 20 games, while averaging 37 points and 4.4 triples on 50.8% shooting. The All-Star game features highlight dunks and spectacular 3-point shooting. Since Curry (16 threes at last year's game) is out, Lill ard is the best long-range shooter, and given his recent hot streak, bet on him to win the award.

Since moving to the “team captains” format, All-Star Game totals average 318 points and reached 325 points just once in five contests. The new “Elam Ending” takes the leading team's score after three quarters and adds 24 to it (in honor of the late Kobe Bryant) to give teams their target score. Whoever hits that score first wins the game.

The Elam Ending is important for betting the point total, because the target score forces teams to play better defense late rather than run out the clock with more highlight dunks and triples. The Elam Ending has been in place for three All-Star Games, and teams combined for an average of just 50 points in those contests. The overall total? Just 318.3 points. Bettors are wise to bet the Under.

NBA All-Star Game best odds

DraftKings	FanDuel	BetMGM	Caesars	PointsBet
N/A	Lillard MVP	Lillard MVP	Lillard MVP	Lillard MVP
N/A	+750	+750	+700	+700

Odds are pretty similar across our featured books, and DraftKings is the only one not offering an All-Star Game MVP option. Take the longest odds at BetMGM and FanDuel.

DraftKings	FanDuel	BetMGM	Caesars	PointsBet
Team Giannis ML	Team Giannis ML	Team Giannis ML	Team Giannis ML	N/A
+130	+130	+125	+130	N/A

BetMGM's Team Giannis ML odds are just slightly shorter than those offered at three of our other featured books, so avoid them. Unfortunately, you can't parlay the All-Star Game MVP with the ML, or else BetMGM would be the best play.

DraftKings	FanDuel	BetMGM	Caesars	PointsBet
Under 325.5	Under 324.5	Under 324.5	Under 325.5	N/A
-110	-110	-110	-110	N/A

The only odds PointsBet offers for the All-Star Game are MVP props, but the book does have wagers available for the 3-Point and Slam Dunk Contests. The odds are standard -110 across our other four books, but take the extra point at Caesars or DK just to be safe.