While the All-Star Game isn't until Sunday, we have a few different events to bet on during Saturday's festivities. Read on for our NBA picks for this year's skills competition based on the best NBA odds.
The NBA All-Star Weekend serves as a nice break from the 82-game season, but that doesn't mean we take time off as bettors. There's plenty to wager on between all the different events set to take place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Saturday night features a trio of fun events, starting with the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge. The 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest follow and will certainly serve as the main attraction for basketball fans and bettors.
Here are our best NBA All-Star Skills Competition picks (odds via Caesars Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
< p class='text-left'>Check out our NBA picks and our best NBA betting sites.
Saturday's NBA All-Star best bets
- Skills Challenge: Team Jazz (-120 via Caesars) ???
- 3-Point Contest: Tyrese Haliburton (+675 via Caesars) ??
- Slam Dunk Contest: Mac McClung (+150 via FanDuel) ???
Check out our NBA Finals odds and NBA MVP odds.
Saturday's NBA All-Star top picks
We need to respect the market in this case, as the team of rookies opened as the favorite before members of the Utah Jazz surpassed them on the odds board. That's why we're willing to make a chalky pick in this three-team contest.
Team Jazz features Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton. They are the first Jazz players to participate in this event since Gordon Hayward did so back in 2016. Team Rookies appears to be their biggest competition, as the group is made up of Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, and Jabari Smith Jr.
But it's telling that the market has priced the rookies at +165 for this event. Last year's host team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, won this competition – and we're betting on the Jazz to do the same.
The player who wins the 3-point contest isn't always the best shooter, it's someone who can handle the bright lights. Tyrese Haliburton might only be in his third season, but he's stormed onto the scene since being traded by the Sacramento Kings to the Indiana Pacers.
Haliburton earned his All-Star selection this season by averaging 19.9 points per game on 48.1% shooting. He's averaging 7.3 3-point attempts per game, making nearly 40% of all shots from beyond the arc. For his career, Haliburton is a 40.7% shooter fro m long range.
Fellow Pacers teammate, Buddy Hield, is the favorite to win this event at roughly +425 across the board. You have to assume Hield and Haliburton have had their fair share of 3-point contests against each other. We believe that might have prepared Haliburton enough to offer value at this +675 price at Caesars, especially when he's 6/1 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
This year's dunk contest lacks starpower, but that does make it interesting from a betting perspective. Mac McClung, who is the first G League player to be invited to this event, actually is the favorite after opening as a +425 long shot.
Once again, we're respecting the market because bettors who jump on this early tend to have a good idea of what they're doing. McClung spent three years at the collegiate level with Georgetown and Texas Tech, but he first got on our radar by throwing down impressive dun ks in high school that were shared on YouTube.
McClung just signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this week, which paved the way for him to join this event with Kenyon Martin Jr. of the Houston Rockets, Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans, and Jericho Sims of the New York Knicks.
This event needs a good story, and McClung making history with jaw-dropping dunks on Saturday night is as good as it gets.
NBA All-Star best bets made 02/17/2023 at 11:20 a.m. ET.
Here are our best NBA betting sites:
- FanDuel: No Sweat First Bet up to $1,000 | Read our FanDuel Review
- Caesars: Earn Up to a $1,250 Bet Credit | Read our Caesars Review
- DraftKings: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets | Read our DraftKings Review
- PointsBet: Earn Five Second-Chance Bets Up to $50 Each | Rea d our PointsBet Review
- BetMGM: Get a Bonus Bet of Up to $1,000 | Read our BetMGM Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Related pages
- Best Online Sportsbooks | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)