@KeepTheJuice21's NBA All-Star Weekend Picks

There’s a deep field for the 3 point contest this year but not really a strong one. It feels like without guys like Steph Curry or Klay Thompson in there, anybody could win. I like Patty Mills for the odds, he has a very quick release and he’s shooting over 40% from behind the arc this year. He doesn’t have the range of Trae Young or Zach LaVine but I don’t think Trae will be able to find the consistency.

The title will be between Mills and Van Vleet and Mills will have good chance to win in a close one.

In an interesting reformat, the skills challenge will feature 3 teams of 3. No disrespect but we can pretty much rule out the Antetokounmpo brothers right away. 2 of the 3 are barely on rosters and Giannis isn’t exactly a shooter. As for Team Cavs, Darius Garland should carry the team and Mobley/Allen will contribute but only as much as they can.

Team Rooks has 3 legitimate ball handlers and shooters; if any one of them is having an off day, there are 2 who can take his place. That’s something no other team really has which should put them firmly in first place.

The All-Star game is basically a parody at this point. No one plays defense until the last 2 minutes, it’s just deep threes and alley oops. Which is entertaining but doesn’t feel exactly competitive. But what the teams do seem to feel is an obligation to entertain, which usually culminates in a close game.

If either team is getting blown out and could be embarrassed, at any point they could just start actually trying. It might be Team LeBron that comes out with a win, but when any team is getting 6 points on the spread, those betting odds look great to me.