In the latest iteration of “Let’s save the NBA All-Star Weekend” the league has come up with a new concept for the All-Star game – taking place this Sunday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
Just like every year, we are going to do our best to make the most out of this Weekend’s festivities from a betting standpoint. So let’s break down everything that’s happening on Sunday night, plus we’ll look into which markets are worth exploring for the main event.
What is the 2026 NBA All-Star Game Format?
Last year’s NBA experiment with the ASG came under a lot of criticism, as the league tried with a mini tournament of four teams playing each other, with the two winners advancing to the final. There were some highlights here and there, but ultimately the competitive nature just wasn’t at a high level and the games themselves were too short due to a lack of effort on the defensive end.
This year we have a new concept with three teams total – USA Stars, USA Stripes and Team World. All three teams will play in a round-robin style format, with the first 3 games being set up so that each team plays two short 12-minute matches. The two teams with the best records advance to the Championship game, with the point differential being the tie-breaker when necessary.
NBA All-Star Game Rosters
Team USA Stars: Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Jalen Duren, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Johnson.
Team USA Stripes: Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Norman Powell, Brandon Ingram (injury replacement for Stephen Curry)
Team World: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Deni Avdija, Jamal Murray, Pascal Siakam, Karl-Anthony Towns, Alperen Şengün.
NBA All-Star Game Outright Winner Odds
Team World +155
USA Stripes +160
USA Stars +200
I think we can all agree that Team World has the most talent here, however with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not suiting up I’d say the talent level is distributed more equally across the three teams.
Team USA Stripes has a really solid mixture of talented young and hungry players paired with a couple of really experienced (old) guys who could be playing in their final All-Star games. The likes of Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson have all been in top form this season, carrying their teams to new heights and I feel like they will be highly motivated to get the win for Team USA here.
Victor Wembanyama is likely going to play the hardest for Team World, there is reason he is the frontrunner for ASG MVP honors at +330 odds.
My pick for Sunday Night is Team USA Stripes. I like the pace they possess combined with a couple of veterans who are going to make sure they keep the game under control if it’s tight towards the end.
NBA All-Star Game Winner Prediction: Team USA Stripes (+160)
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