NBA All-Star Weekend: Skills Challenge Picks & Predictions (2025)
The NBA Skills Challenge is a part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which includes the three-point and slam dunk contests. Fans can watch the action unfold on TNT, TruTV and Max. The fun gets started at 8:00 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA.
First on the schedule Saturday night is the Skills Challenge. Let's take a look at who is taking part in it and the odds for each team.
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NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Best Bets
(NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
NBA Skills Challenge Odds
It is not unusual for the NBA to tinker with the Skills Challenge, and it appears the league has done so this year. Rather than three teams of three players like last year, it will be four teams of two players.
Here's a list of the teams and players taking part, plus the winning odds:
- Team Cavs: Donovan Mitchell & Evan Mobley (+195)
- Team Spurs: Chris Paul & Victor Wembanyama (+200)
- Team Warriors: Draymond Green & Moses Moody (+290)
- Team Rooks: Zaccharie Risacher & Alex Sarr (+380)
NBA Skills Challenge Roster Breakdown
Team Cavs
Team Cavs have youth and experience on their side. Evan Mobley is only 23 years and won the competition in 2022. Mitchell is a little older at 28 and a former Slam Dunk competitor, so he's familiar with how All-Star Saturday works.
It certainly doesn't hurt that they are both All-Stars and play for one of the hottest teams in the NBA this season.
Team Spurs
Victor Wembanyama took part in the Skills Challenge last year and is as skilled as a seven-footer can be. He's partnered with the Godfather of the Skills Challenge, Chris Paul.
Paul has been in the Skills Challenge five times, the last in 2021. However, he's never won, which may make him (and Wembanyama by default) a sentimental favorite.
Team Warriors
Draymond Green and Moses Moody do have homecourt advantage, and Green has been in the contest before. But that was back in 2016.
Team Rooks
This team is an interesting pairing, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, the No. 1 and No. 2 picks of the 2024 NBA Draft Class. They will not have played together other than in the Rising Stars Challenge.
If they can develop some instant chemistry, the two most talented players from the current rookie class could make some noise.
NBA Skills Challenge Prediction
This is a hard one to pick because you don't know how well a duo will perform until they do it, which is probably why the odds for all four teams range from +195 to +380. The easy pick would be to go with Team Cavs since the Cavaliers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
It doesn't hurt that both Mitchell and Mobley All-Stars, so you know they are great players.
However, we are going to pick Team Spurs. Chris Paul is 39, and the end of his incredible career is in sight. It would make for a great moment if Paul were to finally win the Skills Challenge on his sixth try.
Pick: Team Spurs (+200)