Our Pick on the 2022 NBA All-Star Game
The over has cashed 13-2 in the last 15 All-Star games. In terms of sides, favourites have won seven straight games outright while going 5-1-1 ATS in that span.
The 71st annual NBA All-Star Game is happening this Sunday in Cleveland, which begins at 8 pm ET.
Yes, we know how ridiculous it is to have basketball teams named after players, even if they are star players and future Hall of Famers. Here's an idea: How about keeping things simple? Please bring back the West versus East.
However, we're still going to bet on this game, even with the dumb team names and ridiculous format. In fact, the NBA All-Star Game might be the worst exhibition of great athletes this side of the NFL Pro Bowl, but as sports gamblers we can take advantage of this information. In a game where no one plays defense, that makes for some intriguing sports wagering possibilities.
Holding our noses on these dumb team names, here's the odds at SPREADS.CA as well as the "official lineups" for Sunday's feature game:
Team LeBron
Starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic.
Reserves: Jarrett Allen (injury replacement for James Harden), Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Fred VanVleet.
Team Durant
Starters: Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Andrew Wiggins, Trae Young.
Reserves: LaMelo Ball (injury replacement for Durant), Devin Booker, Rudy Gobert, Zach LaVine, Khris Middleton, Dejounte Murray (injury replacement for Draymond Green), Karl-Anthony Towns.
Odd Fact: Durant will still be a team captain despite missing the game due to injury.
The Heat and Suns had the best records in their respective conferences after the games played on Feb. 6. So, that means Suns coach Monty Williams will coach "Team LeBron" and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will be coaching "Team Durant."
OUR PICK: Last year, Team LeBron as -5 points favourites beat Team Durant 170-150. The outcome wasn't close, but the total certainly was – the O/U was 319.5 and landed on 320. The over has cashed 13-2 in the last 15 All-Star games.
In terms of sides, favourites have won seven straight games outright while going 5-1-1 ATS in that span. We do think the 319.5 total this year is cutting it too close (last year's game landed on 320). But given the higher scores, we think covering -5.5 will be no problem for Team Lebron, which is favoured in this game that will be difficult to watch, if you can make it into the 4th quarter.
IMPORTANT NOTE ON GAME RULES (credit to VSIN)
The rules for this year’s game are the same as last year and should be considered before finalizing your bets, as they could throw you off, especially on the total when you consider the “24-point rule.” Here are a few of the key “competitive rule” highlights:
— Each of the first three quarters will begin with a score of 0-0 and will last 12 minutes. The winner of each 12-minute quarter (first, second and third) will be the team that scores the most points within that quarter.
— At the start of the fourth quarter, the game clock will be turned off and a Final Target Score will be set. Once the Final Target Score is set, the teams will play an untimed fourth quarter, and the first team to reach (or surpass) the Final Target Score will win the game.
— The Final Target Score will be set by adding 24 points (Kobe Bryant's old uniform number) to the total of whichever team has the lead through three quarters (i.e. if the team with the lead has 100 points, the target score would be 124). The first team to reach that target would win the game.
