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Carrie Stroup with all your NBA Skills Competitions betting odds for All Star Weekend 2015 courtesy of our friends at Sportsbook.ag.
NBA Skills Competitions
The NBA’s top specialists compete for a chance to call themselves the best Saturday night.
Who will win the Skills Challenge?
Jeff Teague (+400)
Isaiah Thomas (+450)
Trey Burke (+450)
Brandon Knight (+500)
Kyle Lowry (+500)
Dennis Schroder (+800)
Elfrid Payton (+800)
Patrick Beverley (+800)
Place your 1st bet, get your 2nd bet free
The Skills Challenge is an underrated part of this weekend and there is a pretty exciting field in this year’s event. Jeff Teague is a very good pick to win, but I actually think that Brandon Knight is the way to go. Knight is a great value at +500 and should have some bones to pick with the All-Star Game selection committee. Knight was one of the biggest snubs for this year’s game and I always like choosing guys like him in these smaller events. He’s also lightning quick with a nice shot, which should have him move through the obstacle course pretty quickly. Some of the other guys with his speed and ability to change directions, like Elfrid Payton and Dennis Schroder, could have trouble hitting the jumper at the top of the key.
Who will win the Slam Dunk Contest?
Zach LaVine (-140)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (+300)
Victor Oladipo (+350)
Mason Plumlee (+1000)
This event was a little funky a year ago, but it should be more amusing now that the fans know what to expect. There are some talented players in this year’s contest, but none of them can come close to matching the athleticism of Zach LaVine. It’s never fun taking the chalk, but LaVine showed off a 46-inch vertical leap during a pre-draft workout last season. A simple search on YouTube will reveal to you just what he is capable of doing.
The only way LaVine doesn’t win is if the judges feel some type of obligation to name Mason Plumlee a winner in the state he plays in. That’s very unlikely though, as Plumlee has the worst jumping ability of all of the contestants.
Who will win the Three-Point Contest?
Stephen Curry (+300)
Kyle Korver (+320)
Klay Thompson (+400)
JJ Redick (+650)
Kyrie Irving (+700)
Marco Belinelli (+700)
James Harden (+800)
Wesley Matthews (+800)
This is one of the most loaded competitions this event has ever had. Most people will be going for the bigger names like Stephen Curry and Kyle Korver in this one, but I’m suggesting someone else.
At +800, I love the value you could get on Wesley Matthews. The Portland sharpshooter has been slept on and should come into the contest with a major chip on his shoulder. Matthews is taking 7.6 threes per game this season and making 3.0 of them (40%). He’s also known for hitting big shots for his team. I feel the pressure won’t effect him at all and he’ll quietly put up big numbers while the other snipers will be too worried about smaller individual battles (Curry versus teammate Thompson, Korver versus the world, etc.).
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
