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NBA All-Star Weekend is now upon us and the Rising Stars Game will be played Friday night! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with an NBA Rising Stars game prediction and pick.
This Rising Stars game will be played with a different format once again, but this change is the first time they have showcased this. Instead of two teams going at it for 48 minutes, the game will be divided up between four teams of seven. It will be considered a mini-tournament instead of just a normal game. If this works well, this could stay and the NBA will have something new to be excited about.
It won't just be rookies and sophomores as G-League Ignite players will also join this tournament. There will be three games played between these four teams and the coaches for each team are former NBA stars and current Hall of Famers. Rick Barry will coach one team, Gary Payton another, followed by Isiah Thomas and James Worthy. The Rising Stars draft already happened and each coach has their squad. Team A will face Team B and the winner of that game will face the winner of the game between teams C and D. The winner of the second game has won the tournament.
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Each game will be played to a final target score, ending with a made basket instead of timing running out. Games one and two will be played to 50, and game three will be played to 25 points. It's a race to 75 to celebrate the 75-year Anniversary in the NBA.
With all that said, here are the Rising Stars Game odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Rising Stars Game Odds:
Team Barry: +350
Team Payton: +220
Thomas' Squad : +180
Worthy's Squad: +350
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Why Team Barry Can Win
Team Barry has a stacked roster with the current NBA Rookie leader in Evan Mobley. Barry also contains the No. 1 overall pick in Cade Cunningham, so Barry has a team to keep an eye on for this tournament. The rest of the roster is made up of Isaac Okoro, Franz Wagner, Jae'Sean Tate, Alperen Sengun, and Dyson Daniels. Mobley is leading the rookie class, but Cunningham and Wagner are not far behind at all. Okoro is Mobley's teammate for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who is hosting All-Star Weekend. Tate and Sengun both play for the Houston Rockets, while Daniels is on the G-League Ignite.
This team can win this tournament because of their combined speed and size. If Mobley and Cunningham are running the show, I like their chances. Mobley is averaging 14.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on the season. Cunningham is averaging 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Wagner is averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and three assists. This is one of the younger teams of the four, but at +350, I like their odds.
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Why Team Payton Can Win
Team Payton has the second-best odds at +220. This is a bit of a head-scratcher to me because some of his players are being replaced because of injury. At the top of his roster is Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball. Scottie Barnes, Ayo Dosunmu, and Jaden McDaniels are the main stars on the squad. Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte are both out with injuries and are being replaced by Bones Hyland and Jonothan Kuminga. Scott Henderson is the G-League Ignite player. Ball will be their main threat but we can't sleep on Barnes and Dosunmu either. Those two are playing very well this season and they are both on really good teams.
This team can win the tournament if Ball is playing out of his mind and they play well defensively. They don't have much size to them besides McDaniels, so they must find a way to not give up a ton of rebounds. If they do their job and score consistently, then they should have a chance to win their first game, depending on who they will play first. At +220 odds, I don't consider this a great option, but then again, you never really know with these kinds of events.
Why Team Thomas Can Win
Team Thomas has a stacked roster that is capable of taking home the hardware. At +180 odds, this squad is the favorite to win and they have the roster for it. Leading the way are guards Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton. Desmond Bane is playing out of his mind this season, and Seddiq Bey and Precious Achiuwa round out a solid starting five. Isaiah Stewart and Jaden Hardy are also on the team and we all remember Stewart charging at LeBron James earlier in the season. I really like this team to have a chance to win the entire tournament.
This team can win with their athleticism, which tramples everything else in these types of events. Edwards and Haliburton should put on a show with their unique skillsets and it's going to be tough for opposing defenders to contain them. Bey is turning into a lights-out shooter and his Detroit Pistons teammate Stewart will be the man controlling the board and the paint. Edwards is averaging 21.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on the season. Haliburton is averaging 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 11 assists with the Pacers. Those two will be lighting up the arena.
Why Team Worthy Can Win
Team Worthy comes in with +350 odds just like Team Barry does. The players leading the way here are Jalen Suggs, Tyrese Maxey, Cole Anthony, Josh Giddey, and Jalen Green. Those are all mostly guards besides Giddey who can play the forward position. This team lacks size but Herbert Jones will have to bring some from the bench. He's their tallest player at 6-foot-8. This team doesn't have the size, so they will have to win this game with their athleticism and speed just like Team Thomas will have to do.
The Orlando Magic don't have really anything going for them this season, but they have Suggs, Anthony, and Wagner who are all playing very well this season. This team has a bright future. Suggs is averaging 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on the season. Anthony is averaging 17.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on the season. Those two guards should form a solid backcourt and especially in this tournament. Giddey is another player who really shines in this tournament. He's averaging 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on the season for the OKC Thunder. This team has a real shot at winning the whole thing.
Final Rising Stars Game Prediction:
All four of these teams have a great chance to win. Both teams that are +350, Barry and Worthy, both have great rosters that have the most depth. Team Payton is dealing with injuries and I don’t think Ball will be enough to control that team. Team Thomas is the favorite and I expect them to win the entire tournament. Take Team Thomas with Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Desmond Bane to take home the hardware!
Final Rising Stars Game Prediction: Team Isiah Thomas (+180)
