NBA All-Star Game: all you need to know
The NBA All-Star Game is one of the most anticipated events of the season, along with the playoff finals. For NBA players, making the All-Star Teams means recognition of their talent, both in the eyes of fans and experts. Fans vote for certain basketballers well in advance of All-Star Weekend, and the best of the best make the East and West teams. Certainly, such a fight should always be present on the sports betting calendar!
The NBA’s top players will, once again, face off on February 20, opening up the great online basketball betting potential. The NBA All-Star Game 2022 is slated to be held in Cleveland.
Lebron vs. Durant, what’s in store for us, and what are the nuances to consider when placing a bet on the NBA All-Star Game? Cyber.bet is here to shed light on these questions as well as to boost your NBA betting efforts and offer the most profitable odds!
Background to the competition
The 24 strongest sportsmen in the league are split into two teams for the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference matchup. The participants are selected by fans, players, and media experts. Traditionally, the candidate with the most votes in his conference receives an offer to be captain of the respective team. Thus, the lists of participants are as follows:
Kevin Durant’s starting lineup
- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
- Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors)
- Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)
- Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
*Due to a knee injury, Kevin Durant may not be able to participate in the event; in this case, he will be replaced by Jayson Tatum.
Lebron James’ starting lineup
- Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
- Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
- DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)
- Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
In order to boost the competitive spirit, each team has the opportunity to donate the money won to a selected charity. The game is considered the final element of the Weekend, with many other events taking place over the three days. On Friday, you can watch the Celebrity and the Rising Stars matchups, and on Saturday, there will be the Overhead Shooting and Three-Point contests.
Eastern Stars
Brooklyn Nets player Kevin Durant, now in his 12th All-Star Game appearance, will be captain of the Eastern Conference. However, after a great start to the season, the athlete suffered several injuries, which might lead to his absence on the field. The East, however, has enough other well-known basketballers that can replace Durant – the squad has four of its five most high-scoring basketballers on the roster.
Here, we’ll also see Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid that tops the high scorer ranking, averaging 29.3 points per match. Last season’s MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo enters the competition for the 6th time. One of this season’s most notable athletes, DeMar DeRozan (his skills have helped the Chicago Bulls finish second), will participate in the event for the fifth time. The fifth participant on the starting East roster will be Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who ranks among the top three players in the Eastern Conference in scoring (averaging 27.7 points per match) and assists (averaging 9.3 points per match).
Western Stars
The Los Angeles Lakers may be disappointing their fans this season, but Lebron James still leads the polls, so he will be the captain of the West. James, who has become the All-Star’s most valuable player three times, will appear in this game for the 18th time!
Stephen Curry is a perfect fit to make the starting lineup – the Golden State Warriors’ rep leads in three-point shooting this season, averaging 4.8 field goals per match. Nikola Jokić, who will come for the fourth time, shows outstanding shooting guard skills.
The NBA’s fifth highest-scoring basketballer rightly got his first opportunity to perform here – the 22-year-old Ja Morant has demonstrated great results this season, averaging 26.4 points per match. And another newcomer will join this race – highly promising Golden State Warriors’ representative Andrew Wiggins.
NBA All-Star predictions and betting tips
Trying to predict the outcome of a game is more like utopia because lineups change every year, new captains are chosen, and past All-Star stats will tell you almost nothing, but there are a few clues that can be useful for your betting strategy.
Don’t expect any tactical confrontations between coaches and fierce fighting for victory over every inch of the floor. Instead, you can expect extravagant throws, masterful passes, and all possible feints – that’s what the fans want to see. The result here is secondary. Thus, when you get down to online basketball betting on this event, you should consider that its outcome will have no impact on the league position of the teams and will have no effect on the personal statistics of the basketballers.
Сurrent NBA All-Star Game lineups boast a greater number of assists, which may result in high scoring performance and eventually play into your Total Over/Under predictions. The most logical option is the Total Over stake. It breaks through almost every year. What’s more, the NBA’s scoring rate per game has increased tremendously lately, and this is going to be a show without any hint of defense!
Antetokounmpo should probably be considered one of the best bets for the highest-scoring player. The Greek star is in good shape, and in last year’s edition, he was the one who scored the most points, even though his team was defeated. When it comes to individual results, analysts also recommend taking a closer look at Stephen Curry.
Most experts agree that Lebron and his squad are superior to their opponents and have a better chance to win. Especially given the fact that Kevin Durant may not be playing due to injury. The Western Conference has won seven previous All-Star Games, and last year’s dramatic matchup in Atlanta ended 170-150. Most fans want the East to win, though, and since the team has plenty of firepower, this year, the advantage may finally shift to its side. And what do you think? Are you ready to make your prediction and get down to NBA online betting? Then, back on a certain winner or make the most of your NBA All-Star Game spread wagering with the best odds only on Cyber.bet!
