The NBA will debut a new format for this year’s All-Star Game. Three teams will consist of All-Stars, and another team will consist of rising stars.
Ultimately, Team Candace won the Rising Stars competition yesterday. That team includes Stephon Castle, who won the MVP with 12 points last night. The team also has Keyonte George, Dalton Knecht, and other rising stars like Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells. Now they’ll take on Team Shaq, which is made up of NBA All-Stars, in the semifinals of the All-Star Tournament.
On the other hand, Team Kenny will face Team Chuck in the first game of the NBA All-Star Tournament. These are two other teams made up of NBA All-Stars. Ultimately, Kenny, Chuck, and Shaq drafted these three teams. I’ll discuss each team, their players, and their chances below.
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NBA All-Star Tournament Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Team Kenny vs. Team Chuck
Team Kenny’s team has a lot of young talent, but maybe not enough height. The team consists of Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, and Tyler Herro. This is a balanced group. It’s got all-around players like Anthony Edwards, great passers like Cunningham, Garland, Herro, and Brunson, and elite scorers all-around.
I’d just be worried about having a height disadvantage.
After all, Team Chuck has Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Alperen Sengun, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Pascal Siakam. Chuck’s team only has three guards: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Donovan Mitchell, and Trae Young. I don’t think the lack of guards will hurt. After all, Nikola Jokic sometimes plays like a guard anyway.
Meanwhile, these games will be untimed and played up to 40 points. They’ll likely be more competitive than in other years, which should make for some good TV. That said, Team Chuck’s height advantage is enough for me to back them at -3.5.
Pick: Team Chuck -3.5 (-115)
Team Shaq vs. Team Candace
Shaquille O’Neal is living in the past. He added a whole bunch of players who are past their prime. Still, it should be cool watching LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant all on the same team. In addition, he added Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, and Kyrie Irving to the roster. This roster simply has no bigs, especially after Anthony Davis was removed from the lineup due to an injury. However, this team also has a bunch of really good wings and some terrific shooting. As long as Team Shaq hits their shots, they’ll be fine against Team Candace.
As Stephen Curry acknowledged, no team wants to lose to a Rising Stars team. That would be plain embarrassing. Since Team Shaq is full of veterans, it will be prepared and will not let the Rising Stars take control.
I would not only back Team Shaq but also consider the Under 72.5. The defense in this year’s tournament should be much, much better.
Picks: Team Shaq -6.5 (-122) & Under 72.5 (-118)
Once these two semifinal games conclude, there will be a final. Unfortunately, we don’t know precisely which teams will be in it. However, the finals should be much closer between two legitimate All-Star teams. Nobody would be surprised if that game went down to the wire.
