The NBA will try a new format for this year’s NBA All-Star Game. Instead of just one game and a target line, the NBA will feature two semifinal games and a championship game. Each game will be untimed by up to 40 points and should be much more competitive than in recent years.
Chuck, Shaq and Kenny drafted three teams of All-Stars. Yesterday, Team Candace won the Rising Stars challenge and will be the fourth team involved in this year’s NBA All-Star Tournament.
As Stephen Curry acknowledged, losing to a rising stars squad would be embarrassing for these NBA All-Stars. So that’s why it’ll likely be competitive.
Ultimately, we don’t know which teams will play in the finals, and we won’t have a timetable for that. But we can still discuss the two semifinal games before heading to the top-rated sportsbooks!
Picks Summary
- Team Chuck ML (-180)
- Team Shaq ML (-520)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Team Kenny vs. Team Chuck
Sunday, February 16, 2025 – 08:20 PM ET at Chase Center
Team Chuck Has Length!
Team Chuck drafted a team filled with length. He added:
- Nikola Jokic
- Alperen Sengun
- Pascal Siakam
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Victor Wembanyama
In addition, he also had Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he’ll be unavailable to play in this game. That said, Team Chuck only has three guards, including:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Trae Young
- Donovan Mitchell
Luckily, these three versatile guards can work well with the bigs. As long as Team Chuck tries to score inside for most of the game, it’ll likely be hard for Team Kenny to defend them.
Team Kenny Might Be Too Balanced!
It seems like Kenny was the only person to draft a roster with legitimate intention. He added:
- Anthony Edwards
- Jalen Brunson
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
- Kalen Williams
- Darius Garland
- Evan Mobley
- Cade Cunningham
- Tyler Herro
This team doesn’t have a center, but it’s very balanced. While that sounds good, how will Team Kenny’s rotations look against a Team Chuck roster filled with super tall and versatile bigs? Evan Mobley can defend down low. Jaren Jackson Jr. is also solid. But those two won’t play the entire game. Without those two, defending around the paint will be hard.
The Pick
I’m rolling with Team Chuck at -180 in this first semifinal matchup.
NBA Pick: Team Chuck ML (-180) at Bet365
Team Shaq vs. Team Candace
Sunday, February 16, 2025 – 09:10 PM ET at Chase Center
In the second matchup, it’ll be Team Shaq against Team Candace. Ultimately, Team Shaq is filled with legitimate All-Stars, while Team Candace is just a squad filled with year one and two players.
It’s unlikely that Team Candace will pull off the upset in this one.
Is Team Shaq Living In The Past?
While Team Kenny and Team Chuck added players who were already in their prime, Team Shaq elected to roll with veterans who were probably past their prime. Team Shaq comprises:
- LeBron James
- Stephen Curry
- Jayson Tatum
- Kevin Durant
- Damian Lillard
- James Harden
- Kyrie Irving
- Jaylen Brown
This is a star-studded roster but easily the oldest roster. These veterans don’t want to lose to the rising stars and are unwilling to give up their league dominance just yet.
That said, this team, especially without Anthony Davis, has no power forward or center. Team Shaq will have to play small. Ultimately, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and LeBron James are the tallest players on the team. That’s worrisome, but it will not be good in the finals if they get there, not in this game against the Rising Stars.
Team Candace Has Momentum… or Fatigue
Team Candace won the four-team mini-tournament for the Rising Stars yesterday. After winning that mini-tournament, they’ll be thrown right back into action on Sunday.
Stephon Castle of the Spurs was the team MVP. He played well with Dalton Knect and Keyonte George. In addition, this team has some height with Zach Edey and Tracye Jackson-Davis and some good defense with Amen Thompson.
If the Rising Stars beat Team Shaq, I think we could officially move on to the next era of the NBA. That said, it’s not going to happen. The veterans know how important it is to win this game and prove their dominance.
The Pick
Roll with Team Shaq even at -520. You could also parlay this with Team Chuck to get more exciting odds.
NBA Pick: Team Shaq ML (-520) at Bet365
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
