How to handle betting on NBA All-Star Saturday night

Once again, we’ve reached the unofficial half-way point of the NBA’s regular season. Still, while there’s sure to be some intrigue surrounding the new All-Star Game format, for my money, Saturday night remains the marquee event. Maybe it’s because I was eight-years-old and living in Toronto when Vince Carter got Kenny Smith to famously declare “It’s over,” but All-Star Saturday Night will always hold a special place in my heart. However, that’s not to say that childhood whimsy is the only way to enjoy something.

Here are a few bets on the DraftKings Sportsbook that might liven up your weekend viewing experience.

Skills Challenge Winner: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+500)

Look, this is the most nonsensical event of the entire evening and the tight-knit odds reflect the random nature of the results we might see. However, I think we can all agree that this glorified obstacle course does lend itself more favorably to guards than forwards, with only two players taller than 7ft. having ever taken home the crown. I’ll lean with youth over former champions like Jayson Tatum and Spencer Dinwiddie, especially when that youth comes in the silky-smooth form of Gilgeous-Alexander.

3-Point Contest Winner: Duncan Robinson (+500)

Without a generational like Stephen Curry in the field, give me the guy who’s worked his way from a Division III college to the NBA primarily based on one skill. Robinson comes into the All-Star Break with a 43.8% field goal rate from beyond the arc - the sixth-best figure in basketball and the highest shooting percentage of anyone taking the court Saturday evening. It’s not like Robinson is just sitting in the corner waiting to fire up uncontested looks, either. Only 23.9% of his 3-point attempts have been from the corners, with Robinson actually doing most of his damage from above the break. He’s not a rhythm shooter, he’s just a shooter. Period.

To Make a MTN DEW Zone Shot: Devonte’ Graham, Yes (-117)

You could probably come up with better ways to invest your hard earned money, but I have a feeling you want to bet on this ridiculous prop with me. While Graham has seen his 3-point shooting percentage drop each and every month since a torrid beginning to the season, he’ll still enter All-Star Saturday night with the second-most made field goals between 25-to-29ft. of any player in the NBA (153). The lone man with more makes? James Harden, but you probably already guessed that.

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