Steve Starr
- BetUS has odds on a condensed NBA All-Star Weekend that will all take place on Sunday night
- LeBron James (+500) is favored to win his 4th NBA All-Star Game MVP
- Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley (+125) has the shortest odds to win the Slam Dunk contest
Despite objections from LeBron James and other high-profile players, the NBA will hold its All-Star festivities in Atlanta on March 7. This year, all the events will occur on Sunday night with the NBA Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest starting at 6:30 PM ET, followed by the All-Star Game at 8:00 PM and the Slam Dunk Contest, which will take place at halftime.
With one of the best nights on the basketball calendar just a few days away, let’s look at the opening odds for NBA All-Star Game MVP and the dunk contest.
NBA All-Star Game MVP Odds
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|
| LeBron James | +500 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +550 |
| Stephen Curry | +750 |
| Luka Doncic | +750 |
| Joel Embiid | +900 |
| Kyrie Irving | +1400 |
| Jayson Tatum | +1600 |
| Kawhi Leonard | +1600 |
| Bradley Beal | +1600 |
| Zion Williamson | +1600 |
| Nikola Jokic | +1800 |
| Damian Lillard | +2200 |
| James Harden | +2500 |
| Zach Lavine | +2500 |
| Donovan Mitchell | +4000 |
| Paul George | +4000 |
| Ben Simmons | +5000 |
| Chris Paul | +5000 |
| Jaylen Brown | +5000 |
| Devin Booker | +5000 |
| Domantis Sabonis | +7500 |
| Julius Randle | +7500 |
| Nikola Vucevic | +12500 |
| Rudy Gobert | +12500 |
Need your next bet to be a layup? Find our NBA wagering tips here.
Will LeBron win his 4th ASG MVP?
LeBron James (+500) will move into a tie with Bob Pettit and Kobe Bryant if he can claim his fourth NBA All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, but it’s fair to question if his heart will be in it. “I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” said James, calling the event “kind of a slap in the face” and expressing that he would be in Atlanta “physically, but not mentally.”
LeBron’s indifference could open the door for Giannis Antetokounmpo (+550), the league’s two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, or Stephen Curry (+750), who will be competing in the 3-point contest before the game, to win their first ASG MVP.
The 2021 #NBAAllStar #TeamLeBron & #TeamDurant rosters as drafted by @KingJames and @KDTrey5! pic.twitter.com/TWntJccnyP
— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2021
The All-Star Game is a perfect showcase for Luka Doncic (+750), who is almost averaging a triple-double this year with per-game averages of 28.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists, but he has been suffering “lower-back tightness” and will be one of the many competitors forced into double-duty as he’s expected to participate in the Skills Challenge before the game.
Both last year’s ASG MVP Kawhi Leonard (+1600) and 2014 winner Kyrie Irving (+1400) are available at long odds, as is Bradley Beal (+1600), who earned his first All-Star Game start after averaging a league-high 32.9 points per game through the season’s first half. James Harden (+2500) is also an incredible value considering he has eight triple-double in 23 games since joining the Nets.
2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Odds
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|
| Cassius Stanley | +125 |
| Obi Toppin | +150 |
| Anfernee Simons | +300 |
Stanley favored to win scaled-back dunk contest
With the NBA deciding to squeeze the Slam Dunk contest into halftime of the All-Star Game, this year’s event will only have three participants instead of four, with each player attempting two dunks each in the first round and the two highest scorers advancing to the second (and final) round.
While he’s only played 23 minutes this season, Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley (+125) has emerged as the betting favorite thanks to recording a max vertical leap of 44 inches at the 2020 NBA Draft Combine, tied for the third-highest mark since 2000. Oddsmakers also like the Knicks’ No. 8 overall picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, Obi Toppin (+150), who rocked the rim repeatedly at Dayton last year.
Every one of Michael Jordan’s #NBAAllStar Slam Dunk Contest Dunks!
All of All-Star 2021 in One Night – Sunday March 7th on TNT:
🌟 6:30pm/et: #TacoBellSkills & #MtnDew3PT
🌟 8:00pm/et: 70th NBA All-Star Game
🌟 Halftime: #ATTSlamDunk pic.twitter.com/CtkFpGwmlR— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) March 2, 2021
Best known for his three-point shooting, Anfernee Simons (+300) has only logged ten dunks through his first 61 games in the league, but he reportedly drew surprised reactions from his fellow Blazers when he put on an impromptu dunk contest of his own last season, with one teammate describing him as a “skinny guy that floats.”
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