2016 NBA All-Star Game Betting Preview
NBA All-Star Weekend takes place beginning on Friday night with a variety of competition and exhibitions, and concludes on Sunday with the NBA All-Star Game. This year’s festivities will be held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
The starting rosters for the All-Star game are decided by fan voting, while head coaches from across the league are responsible for selecting the bench players. Cavaliers forward LeBron James (1,089,206) received the most votes for the Eastern Conference squad while Kobe Bryant (1,891,614) received the most votes for the Western Conference.
The selection of Bryant came as a surprise to many NBA fans who believed that Golden State’s Draymond Green was more deserving of a starting role. This season, Bryant is shooting a career-low 35.4% from the floor and the Lakers have the second worst record in basketball. On the flip side, Green has been a triple-double machine and is averaging 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists for the first place Warriors.
The screenshot below displays the full rosters for both All-Star teams along with the number of votes received by each starter.
Since Kobe Bryant has already announced that he will retire at the end of this season, his selection is clearly a sentimental choice by fans who want to see one of the all-time greats on the public stage for one last time. Despite Bryant’s questionable inclusion in the starting lineup, oddsmakers are very optimistic about the Western Conference roster this year.
The West has opened as a 4.5-point favorite over the East in the NBA All-Star Game. (via @paddypower)
— Sports Insights (@SportsInsights) February 8, 2016
Last season the Western Conference, who closed as a 4-point favorite, defeated the Eastern Conference by the final score of 163-158. The last two points game on meaningless free throws, giving bettors the unlikely backdoor cover.
Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook finished the game with 41 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals and was named MVP of the All-Star game. Despite coming off the bench, Westbrook was listed at just +1600 to win that prestigious award.
This year there are just eight players with shorter odds than +1600 including the clear-cut favorite, Stephen Curry (+350). The 27-year old guard is averaging 29.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists while threatening to join the exclusive 50-40-30 club. Curry’s performance this season is so impressive that he’s listed at -1200 to repeat as the league’s MVP with the field listed at +600.
When this article was first posted on Monday, Paddy Power was the only sportsbook offering odds for All-Star weekend. On Wednesday morning, Bovada and Sports Interaction (SIA) also posted their odds.
All-Star Game MVP
| Player | Team | Paddy Power (2/8) |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | GS | +350 |
| Kevin Durant | OKC | +500 |
| Russell Westbrook | OKC | +550 |
| LeBron James | CLE | +550 |
| James Harden | HOU | +1000 |
| Kobe Bryant | LAL | +1000 |
| Paul George | IND | +1200 |
| Klay Thompson | GS | +1200 |
| Carmelo Anthony | NYK | +2000 |
| Anthony Davis | NO | +2200 |
| Kyle Lowry | TOR | +2200 |
| Kawhi Leonard | SA | +2200 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | +2200 |
| Jimmy Butler | CHI | +2500 |
| John Wall | WAS | +3000 |
| Draymond Green | GS | +3000 |
| Isaiah Thomas | BOS | +6000 |
| Dwyane Wade | MIA | +6000 |
| Andre Drummond | DET | +6000 |
| DeMar DeRozan | TOR | +6000 |
| Chris Paul | LAC | +6000 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | SA | +7500 |
| Paul Millsap | ATL | +9000 |
| Chris Bosh | MIA | +9000 |
Sunday’s All-Star game should be thrilling, but many fans are more interested in Saturday night’s festivities which includes the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Competition.
While the league has done away with the Shooting Stars competition, this year’s competitions will include a few new wrinkles including the addition of four big men to the Skills Challenge. This event consists of a timed obstacle course that includes dribbling, passing, and shooting stations.
Houston’s Patrick Beverly (+650) was last year’s winner after being named as a last-minute replacement for John Wall. In an ironic twist, Beverly has dropped out of this year’s Skills Challenge although his replacement has yet to be named.
The table below displays the current odds at Bovada, Paddy Power and SIA.
Skills Challenge Odds
| Player | Team | Bovada (2/11) | SIA (2/10) | Bovada (2/10) | Paddy Power (2/8) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Thomas | BOS | +240 | +330 | +333 | +300 |
| CJ McCollum | POR | +350 | +500 | +450 | +450 |
| Draymond Green | GS | +400 | +500 | +500 | +550 |
| Patrick Beverly | HOU | +650 | +450 | +500 | +400 |
| Jordan Clarkson | LAL | +650 | +500 | +500 | +450 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | +1000 | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| Anthony Davis | NO | +1200 | +800 | +800 | +850 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | +1200 | +1000 | +1000 | +900 |
In most years the slam dunk contest is regarded as the night’s most exciting event, but that tide may be changing. Last year Stephen Curry (who closed as the favorite at +325) set the all-time record with 27-points in the final round, including a streak 13 consecutive made shots. This year he will attempt to retain his crown against a talented field that includes teammate Klay Thompson and three other players who are shooting better than 40% from downtown on the season.
Curry will attempt to win the competition in back-back years for the first time since Jason Kapono in 2007 and 2008. Right now he’s listed as the favorite, and it will be interesting to see whether any book offers odds for Curry and/or Thompson vs. The Field. Based on an informal twitter poll, bettors would gladly take the Splash Brothers at even money.
Who will win the 2016 Three-Point Contest?
— Sports Insights (@SportsInsights) February 5, 2016
The table below displays the current odds at Bovada, Paddy Power and SIA.
Three-Point Contest Odds
| Player | Team | Bovada (2/11) | SIA (2/10) | Bovada (2/10) | Paddy Power (2/8) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | GS | +100 | +225 | +125 | +170 |
| Klay Thompson | GS | +400 | +350 | +375 | +400 |
| JJ Redick | LAC | +500 | +500 | +500 | +350 |
| Devin Booker | PHX | +750 | +550 | +700 | +750 |
| Kyle Lowry | TOR | +1000 | +550 | +700 | +650 |
| James Harden | HOU | +1200 | +800 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Khris Middleton | MIL | +2000 | +800 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Chris Bosh | MIA | +3000 | +1200 | +1500 | +1100 |
In the evening’s climactic activity, four of the league’s most athletic players will face off in the Slam Dunk Contest. Although the event has begun to lose some of its luster, it’s still must-see television for any basketball fan.
Last season Minnesota’s Zach LaVine, who closed as a -110 favorite, amazed the crowd with two spectacular dunks before coasting to the title. In doing so, he became the second youngest player to win the dunk contest (trailing only Kobe Bryant in 1997). For those who missed this astounding performance, we’ve embedded the video below:
After this impressive performance LaVine opened as a massive favorite (-400) to repeat as champion, but this might be another classic example of overreaction and recency bias. LaVine is an excellent athlete, but we have already seen his repertoire of between the legs dunks? Will he be able to be creative and bring something new to the table this year?
Although he’s not nearly the same caliber of athlete, I’m intrigued by Denver’s Will Barton. He consistently dunks with authority, and that power should help energize the crowd — perhaps the most important aspect of winning the dunk contest.
Unfortunately for Aaron Gordon and Andre Drummond, dunks often lose their luster when they’re coming from big men. Barton’s vertical and hang time make him an intriguing value pick at +550.
The table below displays the current odds at Bovada, Paddy Power and SIA.
Slam Dunk Contest Odds
| Player | Team | Bovada (2/11) | SIA (2/10) | Bovada (2/10) | Paddy Power (2/8) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach LaVine | MIN | -300 | -251 | -250 | -400 |
| Aaron Gordon | ORL | +400 | +491 | +450 | +500 |
| Will Barton | DEN | +550 | +355 | +400 | +400 |
| Andre Drummond | DET | +850 | +900 | +800 | +1100 |
The All-Star game will take place on Sunday evening at 8:30 PM eastern time and bettors can keep up with the latest odds on our free NBA odds page.
Who do you like this weekend? Are any long shots providing value? Please leave your thoughts and comments in the section below.
Case
02/14/2016 at 7:23 pmI’d like to see kb have a memorable but his comments say otherwise…watch out for lowry he can light it up on his floor…should be fun to watch