Perhaps more than any other All-Star weekend, the NBA’s version showcases the elite athleticism and grandeur of the sport. It does not showcase defense, but in this instance, that’s OK. 

The 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis features a 3-point contest, skills challenges and, of course, Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. All of the NBA’s top stars will be there. The Eastern Conference team captained by Giannis Antetokounmpo features Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum, while LeBron James’ Western Conference team includes Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Bookies.com NBA handicapper Adam Thompson breaks down the field and lays down his NBA picks. 

NBA All-Star Game Picks

The West is favored by 2.5 points. Only once in the last 11 years has an All-Star Game been decided by less than three points. So we’re likely choosing a winner here, regardless of spread. 

However, we’ll take the spread, and lay it with the West. Aside from Giannis, who has proven to be unstoppable in these games when he wants to be, the East has fairly bad matchups throughout. The team’s second-best player, Joel Embiid, is recovering from surgery and won’t play. Many of its top guys are team-first guards, and not the types who flourish in the “look at me” format we’ll see Sunday. 

You know who does thrive in those situations? Steph Curry, Devin Booker, KD, LeBron, Luka, Anthony Edwards. There are no soft spots on the West side, either. 

If the West cares, the West pulls away and takes it. We’re back to the original format of four, 12-minute quarters. Bank on the West and lay the points. 

Meanwhile, the NBA All-Star Game Over/Under is set at a hilarious 364 points. An Over would mark the highest-scoring ASG since 2017. It’s such a high number, it makes me lean Under, but I’d prefer Over from a viewer’s perspective. There are other ways to use our bankroll. 

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NBA All-Star Game MVP Picks

Giannis Antetokounmpo averages 25.1 ppg over seven All-Star Games played, the highest total of any player in NBA history. And that includes last year’s game, when he managed just two points in 20 minutes. 

In 2021, he went 16-of-16 from the court and won MVP honors. If the East is to win it, Giannis is going to need to turn the usual 3-point festival into a slam dunk assembly line for himself. 

Giannis for MVP is a hedge in case the East pulls off the win. At +600, Giannis for MVP is a hedge we would be happy with. 

It also allows us to choose a player on the West to back. LeBron is the obvious choice; he wants to win MVPs. But we’ll skew on the younger side. 

Anthony Edwards is on the brink of establishing himself as a true star in the NBA. His Timberwolves are the No. 1 team in the West, and his 26.3 ppg leads a team that has succeeded more due to defense. Winning ASG MVP would be a coming-out party for the young Edwards, one he’s ready to embrace if – his veteran teammates allow it. It’s worth backing at +1100. 

3-Point Contest Picks

Damian Lillard is back to defend the 3-Point Contest title he won last year in Salt Lake City. The 2022 winner, Karl Anthony-Towns, the lone center to take the trophy, is also in the field. Lillard is NBA betting sites favorite to win the event, but there are no real long shots in the field. 

NBA 3-Point Contest Odds

Odds via DraftKings and accurate as of publication. Check out our DraftKings Review.

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Lillard won the event last year despite one of the lower-scoring rounds in recent history. He’s hitting just 34.4% of his 3’s this season for the Bucks. 

Instead of picking the favorite and defending champ, we’ll continue our trend of making it a big weekend of Timberwolves. 

Malik Beasley has launched 351 3’s so far and hit on 44.4% of them, by far the best percentage of anyone who’s attempted at least 300 times. Jalen Brunson of the Knicks is No. 1 on that list at 41.1%. 

Overall, the second-best percentage belongs to Towns, his Minnesota teammate, at 43.7%. 

We’ll back both Beasley (+650) and Towns (+600) and be strongly in the black if either of them wins it. 

NBA Skills Challenge Picks

Three rounds consisting of shooting, passing, and a relay event, plus a half-court shot challenge, make up the event on Saturday night. 

Three teams are taking part: Team Pacers (+210, Tyrese Haliburton, Benedict Mathurin, Myles Turner), Team Top Picks (+140, Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama), and Team All-Stars (+160, Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes). 

Team Pacers have the homecourt advantage, and Haliburton is as good as they come in the passing category. But Team All-Stars has the passers, the shooters, and the speed to surpass the other two. We’ll take that balance, and go with Team All-Stars at +160.