It’s time for NBA All-Star Weekend. As the league prepares to reveal its revamped All-Star Game format on Sunday, Saturday brings the excitement of awards with NBA All-Star Saturday Night, featuring three thrilling events: the Skills Challenge, the 3-point Shootout, and the Slam Dunk Contest. All the action takes place at the Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the Warriors.

Before we dive into our predictions, let’s outline the schedule for Saturday night.

NBA All-Star Saturday Night Schedule

• Start Times: ~8:15 p.m. ET (Skills Challenge), ~9 p.m. ET (3-point Shootout), ~9:45 p.m. ET (Dunk Contest)
• Date: Saturday, February 15 | Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco
• Broadcasting: TNT and truTV | Stream Live: Max

While I’m not sure how focused the Saturday participants are, I’m here to help you navigate the complexities of the All-Star Weekend betting landscape. Although I’ll share my selections for each of the key events below, understanding the strategies behind these choices is crucial. There’s no surefire method for selecting winners during All-Star Weekend, but with some insight, you can often identify great value.

Skills Challenge

This event is one I purposefully shy away from each year due to its unpredictable nature. The official tiebreaker is a half-court shooting contest, which only adds to the chaos. My strong recommendation is to steer clear of this competition altogether. However, if you must place a bet, consider who you believe has the reliability to make open shots. Team Rooks features the top two picks from June’s draft, Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher, both of whom have effective field goal percentages under 50%. They’re not worth it. Team Warriors includes Draymond Green, and I wouldn’t risk my money on someone who shoots with such inconsistency. That leaves us with Team Spurs and Team Cavs. If forced to choose, I would lean toward the Spurs (+220) since Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama seem like serious competitors. But remember, avoiding this event is my top advice.

3-Point Contest

The secret to betting on the 3-point contest lies not in selecting a winner, but in identifying who to avoid betting on. Keep in mind that shooting a basketball is fundamentally unpredictable. Stephen Curry hasn’t clinched this event every year, so what factors should guide us? First, we should eliminate Damian Lillard (+350) from consideration. Only Larry Bird has ever won this contest three times, and although Lillard has bagged it twice in a row, prior to him, consecutive wins were rare since Jason Kapono. If you want to bet on a potential three-peat, that’s your choice, but I won’t back him at the current odds.

Check out the lineup for the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Shootout: Complete participant list for 2025 All-Star Saturday Night

By Jack Maloney

A peculiar trend to note is that, aside from Lillard and Curry’s recent victories, experienced shooters have not performed as well lately. Players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Joe Harris, and Eric Gordon have all won in their debut attempts. Both Devin Booker and Buddy Hield triumphed in their second shot. While this doesn’t mean first-timers are guaranteed to succeed, there’s certainly value in unexpected places. This year’s newcomers include Darius Garland, Cameron Johnson, Cade Cunningham, and Norm Powell. I’m not backing Cunningham because nothing in his NBA history suggests he’s on par with his rivals. However, Cameron Johnson at +750 presents a promising opportunity, especially compared to Garland (+500) and Powell (+550), making him my pick for this event.

Dunk Contest

Finding accurate odds for the Dunk Contest can be challenging, so we’re referencing some information from Bleacher Report. Luckily, we only need to focus on one standout participant: Mac McClung at -220. This line implies a 68.75% chance of him winning. Given the performances we’ve seen in the past two Dunk Contests, do you honestly believe that McClung has less than a 70% chance of winning? For me, the reality seems closer to 80%. While he could potentially lose—voter fatigue might exist, much like in the MVP race—it hasn’t surfaced yet. McClung enters our basketball scene once a year to dominate this contest. He’s become a Dunk Contest legend, and the judges are likely to give him the benefit of the doubt, tipping the scales in his favor. I’m rarely one to advocate for wagers on odds below evens for straightforward outcomes, but this is one situation where overthinking isn’t necessary.