You don’t have to take a break from betting on the NBA just because it’s All-Star weekend.
BetMGM has plenty of lines and betting options covering the All-Star festivities. You can bet on the Rising Stars tournament, the skills contest, the three-point contest and there’s even a point spread on Sunday’s All-Star Game. Let’s dig in.
Team LeBron is favored by 6.5 points over Team Durant and the over/under is 320.5. James is joined in the starting lineup by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic. Kevin Durant has Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Andrew Wiggins and Trae Young.
James appears to have the edge on the bench too. While Durant has Devin Booker and Rudy Gobert, James has Luka Doncic, Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler (among others) available. There’s a reason why his team is favored in addition to the 170-150 win it had over Durant’s team in 2021.
The game will once again end with an alternate Elam Ending to honor Kobe Bryant. The clock will be turned off after the third quarter. A target score of the leading team’s total plus 24 points is established to start the fourth quarter and the first team to reach the target score wins the game.
If the game is a little closer in 2022, the over should hit. We’d be inclined to place a bet on that number, simply because betting an under in an NBA All-Star Game feels incredibly wrong.
Three-point contest odds
Four players participating in the All-Star Game are also in the three-point contest, though neither of the four is the favorite in the contest.
The Brooklyn Nets’ Patty Mills is tops on the board at +425 to win the contest. He’s just ahead of All-Star Fred VanVleet at +450 and Young at +500. The Bulls; Zach LaVine is at +600 and Karl-Anthony Towns is at +1200.
A LaVine win would make NBA history. He won the dunk contest twice as a member of the Timberwolves and no player in NBA history has ever won a dunk contest and a three-point contest.
Towns would join Dirk Nowitzki as one of the tallest players to ever win a three-point contest. Nowitzki, listed at 7-feet during his NBA career, won the contest in 2006. Towns is listed at 6-11.
Whoever wins the contest on Saturday night will be a first-time winner.
Team Isiah is the Rising Stars favorite
Team Isiah is at +175 to win the Rising Stars Tournament. Isiah Thomas’ team includes Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Desmond Bane and takes on James Worthy’s team in the first round. Worthy’s team (+350) includes Josh Giddey, Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Green. The other semifinal includes Team Payton (+300) vs. Team Barry (+275). Team Payton includes LaMelo Ball — who is pulling double duty and playing in the All-Star Game — Scottie Barnes and Ayo Dosunmu. Team Barry has Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley along with Franz Wagner.
The games are set to be played Friday and are played to a target score. The first team to 50 wins the semifinal games and the championship game will be won by the first team to 25 points.
Rookies favored in the skills challenge
There are three skills challenge teams and one is the clear favorite. Team Rookie with Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey is at -165 to win over Team Cavs and Team Antetokounmpo. The Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are at +250 while Giannis and brothers Thanasis and Alex are at +400.
NASCAR is back
There are three NASCAR races to bet on this weekend. The Truck Series race at Daytona is on Friday night and followed by the Xfinity Series race on Saturday and the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
John Hunter Nemechek is the Truck Series favorite at +800 while Grant Enfinger is at +900. 2021 Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes is the defending champion and won from the 23rd starting spot a year ago. Rhodes became the first driver since 2013 to win the race from a starting spot outside the top 11.
Teammates AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Hemric are the favorites to win the Xfinity Series race on Saturday at +800 each. Allmendinger and Hemric should be a part of the final four racing for the championship at the end of the season. Hemric got the first NASCAR victory of his career in the final race of 2021 as he won the Xfinity Series title.
Denny Hamlin is the favorite in Sunday’s 500. Hamlin is at +800 and the three-time Daytona 500 winner is the only driver in the field with more than one Daytona 500 win.
Who cashed tickets on Thursday?
If you had Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher to win the Daytona 500 duel qualifying races on Thursday night you made a healthy profit.
The Sixers also won outright as an underdog at the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia won 123-120 as a 6.5-point dog against the defending champions as James Harden wasn’t available. Joel Embiid scored 42 points in 37 minutes as four Sixers starters had 18 or more points.