Well, it's official: Betting for 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend is now open.
Anyone looking to bet on the 2023 NBA All-Star Game itself will have to wait for live odds. The league is drafting teams on Sunday, February 19, just before tip-off. That makes it impossible for the markets to release game lines for Team LeBron James vs. Team Giannis Antetokounmpo.
No matter, though. We still have betting odds for NBA All-Star Saturday night, which includes the Slam Dunk Contest, Three-Point Competition and newly revamped Skills Challenge.
We begin the process of making our 2023 NBA All-Star picks by taking a look at the latest odds to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest:
| To Win |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jericho Sims | +150 | +150 | +145 |
| Kenyon Martin jr. | +175 | +165 | +160 |
| Trey Murphy III | +275 | +250 | +250 |
| Mac McClung | +475 | +500 | +500 |
Please make sure you're double-checking these online NBA betting odds for accuracy until you actually place your wager. Our 2023 NBA All-Star betting odds are accurate entering Friday, February 17. All-Star Saturday night will be taking place on February 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. That gives linemakers more than enough time to adjust the markets based on the betting action.
Fortunately, you don't have to worry about accessing the latest NBA All-Star betting odds if you join up with the right sportsbook. And that's where we come in. We've compiled reviews for all the top online sportsbooks. Armed with all the information we provide, you shouldn't have any trouble identifying which landing spots are the best online NBA betting sites in the business.
Let's get to our 2023 NBA All-Star Saturday Night picks!
The 2023 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest is Wide Open
The initial odds-on-favorite to win the Slam Dunk Contest, rookie Shaedon Sharpe, pulled out of the field just a couple of days ago. His decision left oddsmakers scrambling to come up with a new favorite.
Settling on Jericho Sims (+150) of the New York Knicks is a quality landing spot. He knows how to uncork thunderous dunks and is pretty acrobatic for a big man. Still, centers historically haven't fared too well in the contest, and Sims doesn't have the ball-handling to cobble together conventionally highlight-worthy jams.
Kenyon Martin Jr. (+175) is a valiant option. But we also wonder whether he's a better in-game slammer than dunk-contest star. Investing in Mac McClung (+475), meanwhile, isn't as far fetched as it seems. He wasn't on an NBA roster until a couple of days ago, but he has serious hops, and judges have historically loved it when small dudes get above the rim.
For our money, though, we're going with Trey Murphy III (+275). He has the best handle coordination of the quartet, which should allow him to test out some trickier on-ball moves leading up to his jams. We do wonder if he's too tall, at 6'10", to try the usual blend of mid-air spins. But when you watch his off-the-dribble smashes from the middle of games, there's no denying he has the pop it takes to win this thing.
OSB Prediction Trey Murphy III (+275)
Will a Dark Horse Candidate with the 2023 NBA Three-Point Competition?
Below you can see the latest odds to win the 2023 NBA three-point competition:
- Buddy Hield (+400)
- Damian Lillard (+450)
- Jayson Tatum (+500)
- Kevin Huerter (+550)
- Lauri Markkanen (+550)
- Tyrese Haliburton (+650)
- Tyler Herro (+675)
- Julius Randle (+800)
This year's field is tough to parse. A few options are worth avoiding entirely. Julius Randle (+800) is one of them. He's a last-minute addition following Anfernee Simons' ankle injury, and we don't see him having the speed necessary to get through all the racks at a high clip. Jayson Tatum (+500) isn't a quick-fire shooter, either.
Buddy Hield (+400) is a worthwhile favorite, if only because he's won this thing before. Both Kevin Huerter (+550) and Tyrese Haliburton (+650) are intriguing because they have quicker releases than many think.
In the end, we're most drawn to Damian Lillard (+450). He has participated in the NBA All-Star Three-Point Competition before but never won. Though he's prone to more erratic clips than a Haliburton or Lauri Markkanen (+550), he's also much faster at getting his shots off and more capable of stringing together long stretches of consecutive makes.
OSB Prediction: Damian Lillard (+450)
Can Anyone Take Down 'Team Jazz' in the 2023 NBA All-Star Skills Challenge?
This year, the NBA has separated the Skills Challenge field into three teams that will compete through three rounds. You can see the latest odds to win the 2023 NBA All-Star Skills Challenge below:
- Team Jazz - Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton (-125)
- Team Rookies - Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Jabari Smith Jr. (+130)
- Team Antetokounmpo - Giannis, Thanasis, Alex (+475)
The new NBA All-Star Skills Challenge setup will test team chemistry and handles (Round 1), passing (Round 2) and shooting (Round 3) before determining a winner. We like the Antetokounmpo brothers for Round 1, because sibling synergy is absolutely a thing. But we don't love their chances in the passing or shooting segments. Thanasis and Alex are playmakers and don't log a ton of minutes as it stands, and none of the Antetokounmpos are known for their outside marksmanship.
Team Rookies, believe it or not, should fare quite well in Round 2. They have the best passing collection of any team. But the jump-shot element could prove challenging for Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey, and Jabari Smith Jr. isn't known for his ball-handling.
Our pick winds up being Team Jazz—and not just because NBA All-Star Weekend is being held in Salt Lake City, home to the Utah Jazz. Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson should breeze through the shooting, passing and ball-handling sections of this exercise. Walker Kessler isn't much of an outside threat, so he could get hung up in Round 3, but he has good touch overall for a big man. This trio simply feels more well-balanced than the other two.
OSB Prediction: Team Jazz (-125)
Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one works best for all of your NBA betting:
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