NBA All-Star Weekend Betting Preview

The NBA takes a break this weekend for the all-star game, but that doesn’t mean bettors have to, as there are plenty of NBA All-Star Weekend futures.

The three events with futures odds at Bovada Sportsbook are the skills challenge, the three-point contest and the slam dunk contest.

In the skills challenge, there are eight competitors with the early favorite being Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams at +350. This is Williams’ first time taking part in the skills challenge, and he’s not alone. All eight competitors will be making their skills challenge debut after defending champion Kristaps Porzingis had to withdraw with a knee injury.

Following Williams on the odds at Bovada Sportsbook are Jamal Murray at +400, Al Horford at +500 and Spencer Dinwiddie at +550. Higher odds belong to Joel Embiid and Buddy Hield, both at +600, and Lauri Markkanen at +700.

In the three-point contest this year, eight players will try to be the best from beyond the arc, including the last two winners. Defending champion Eric Gordon returns to try to keep his crown, while 2016 winner Klay Thompson is also back this year looking for another title.

Thompson is the favorite at +210, with Gordon checking in at +450. There are four other players in this year’s field who have unsuccessfully taken part in the three-point contest before — Devin Booker at +550, Paul George at +650, Bradley Beal at +750 and Kyle Lowry at +1000.

Also among the field are two players making their three-point contest debut. They are Wayne Ellington at +700 and Tobias Harris at +1100.

From the field, Thompson has the best three-point shooting percentage this season at .454, while second-best is George at .432. Oddly enough, Gordon sports the worst three-point numbers this season, shooting .334.

In the slam dunk competition there will be a new champion as 2017 champ Glenn Robinson III will not be back to defend his title. Instead the four dunkers will be Larry Nance Jr., Victor Oladipo, Dennis Smith Jr. and Donovan Mitchell.

The favorite is Smith at +170. He’s followed by Mitchell at +220 and Nance at +265. Oladipo, the only one who’s taken part in the dunk contest before, finishing second in 2015, is the underdog at +400.

The most interesting case from the field could be Nance. If he can win, he’ll be following in his father’s footsteps, as Larry Nance Sr. won the dunk contest back in 1984.