The Mavericks are represented, but only one will participate
This week’s SB Reacts did not feature any Dallas Mavericks-related questions; that’s on me for still sulking about the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. However, there was still a national survey and still plenty to discuss from the results.
Before we get to those, though, let’s review who is a part of the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend. Dereck Lively was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge which takes place on Friday night. He won’t be playing of course, due to injury, but it’s fun to watch these younger players interact. Anthony Davis was selected to the All-Star Game Sunday but also will not be able to play due to injury. Kyrie Irving was selected as an injury replacement, making his ninth appearance in the event. On to the fan polling around the event!
The three point contest has become the big even in recent years, with the dunk contest no longer attracting the best of the NBA. The FanDuel odds are pretty close to the fan vote, with Damian Lilliard coming in as the odds-on favorite to win the event for both groups. Garland is is my pick; but watching any of these guys get hot is something else.
Mac McClung is returning again for the Dunk Contest. He’s a bit of a fan favorite at this point, despite not being a NBA player, but we’ll let that slide because he has the stones to actually do it. Same goes for the other contestants. Stephon Castle is a sneaky pick here.
The All-Star game itself is a new format, with four teams. Fans and FanDuel odds are in agreement once again, with Shaq’s team of veterans (let by LeBron James and Steph Curry) are projected to win it. Kenny’s team of rising NBA All Stars gets the second most fan votes here, but that’s counter to the odds, which have the global team (Jokic, SGA, Wemby) trailing close behind. The global team (Charles Barkley’s team) is my pick to win it. They’re deep.
Early guesses have SGA and Steph Curry at the top of the fan voting and FanDuel odds, though the two are reversed. Victor Wembanyama is my darkhorse pick. He doesn’t know how to turn off playing hard.
All-Star Weekend used to be one of my favorite events and recent years have not worked out that way, at least in my memory. The events have been fun at times, but the game is supposed to be the meat and it just hasn’t worked out. But, betting on the weekend is fun, which you can find odds at https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/