NBA All-Star Game Preview
By Sportsbook.ag
NBA All Star Game Preview
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: West -4 & 292
The recently named Smoothie King Center in New Orleans hosts the 63rd annual NBA All-Star game in what should be an exciting offensive affair.
The All-Star Game is in New Orleans this season which is why it made perfect sense that Anthony Davis was chosen to play for the first time in his young career. Davis, who plays for the Pelicans, is replacing Kobe Bryant. Bryant was voted to start in what would have been his 16th straight appearance in the game but a knee injury will keep him sidelined for indefinitely. Davis, playing in his home arena, could be a dark-horse pick to win the MVP of this game.
Chris Paul, who is playing for the Western Conference in this year’s game, took home last year’s honors with 20 points, 15 assists and four steals in the West’s 143-138 victory over the East.
Potentially the star of the entire evening is Damian Lillard, of the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard, who is playing in his first ever All-Star Game, will be a part of the Dunk Contest, Three Point Shootout and Skills Competition. Lillard is one of nine members of the Western Conference team who averages over 20 PPG in a game that will definitely come down to which team is capable of putting points on the board.
The team from the Eastern Conference has just four players who average over 20 PPG. Fortunately, one of those players is LeBron James. James is the most polarizing player in the NBA and has taken home the All-Star Game MVP honors twice (2006, 2008). This should be an exciting and fun game to watch, but the Eastern Conference will definitely be out to get some revenge as they have been defeated in three straight years.
This year’s Eastern Conference team features three players who will be making their debuts in this prestigious game. John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, and Paul Millsap have all had fantastic seasons to date and have earned the right to represent in the game.
The East team has two of the top three scorers in the NBA in LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. In last year’s game, Carmelo Anthony finished the contest with 26 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James had 19 points and five assists.
Dwyane Wade, who is starting for the Eastern Conference, could play limited minutes as he continues to deal with nagging injuries. Wade had a big game last year with 21 points and seven assists.
Playing in his second career All-Star Game is Paul George, who got the nod as a starter this season after the fan vote. George is having a career year with 22.2 PPG and 6.4 RPG. Last season, the exciting young player had 17 points in his debut and he should bring some flare to the contest as he is one of the NBA’s best in-game dunkers.
Chris Bosh, who started in last year’s game, is a reserve this season and will definitely be looking to bounce back from a poor performance in last year’s game. Bosh had just six points (3-of-9 FG) and two rebounds in 23 minutes last season, but he has been outstanding this season for the Heat and should be in for a solid game.
Joakim Noah, Roy Hibbert and Joe Johnson may not be the most exciting players to watch but in a game where most players are trying to put on a show, these guys provide the toughness and winning mentality that could allow the Eastern Conference to get back into the win column.
The Western Conference team is looking to continue their dominant stretch over the East with a win on Sunday night. The team has the leading scorer in the NBA in Kevin Durant (31.5 PPG) and he will be looking to top his performance in last year’s game in which he scored 30 points (13-of-24 FG) and grabbed six rebounds.
Chris Paul had 15 assists on his way to winning the MVP honors last year and he should be able to repeat his performance with an abundance of superstars playing around him. One of those players is his teammate Blake Griffin. Griffin had 19 points (9-of-11 FG) in last year’s game and has only improved as a player since then. He should also be able to provide some jaw dropping moments with his dunking ability.
Stephen Curry (24.6 PPG, 9.0 APG) will be playing in his first career All-Star Game and nobody in the league is capable of getting as hot as Curry can. If he gets his stroke going, there’s no doubt that he is a serious threat to grab the MVP trophy.
Also making his All-Star Game debut is Damian Lillard (20.7 PPG, 5.7 APG), who is also a deadly shooter who can make his presence felt in a hurry. His teammate, LaMarcus Aldridge, has been one of the NBA’s most dominant big men this season and will surely be out to prove that he should’ve been starting in this game.
Kevin Love is a stat-sheet stuffer who will surely be the most active player on the boards in this game. James Harden, Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker are all no strangers to this stage and their experience and ability to cause mismatches with whoever they are going up against will make the Western Conference a difficult team to beat yet again.
Eastern Conference
Starters
G Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat
G Kyrie Irving - Cleveland Cavaliers
F LeBron James - Miami Heat
F Paul George - Indiana Pacers
F Carmelo Anthony - New York Knicks
Reserves
C Joakim Noah - Chicago Bulls
C Roy Hibbert - Indiana Pacers
F/C Chris Bosh - Miami Heat
F Paul Millsap - Atlanta Hawks
G John Wall - Washington Wizards
G Joe Johnson - Brooklyn Nets
G DeMar DeRozan - Toronto Raptors
Head Coach: Frank Vogel (Indiana Pacers)
Western Conference
Starters
G Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
G Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers (Injured)
F Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City Thunder
F/C Blake Griffin - Los Angeles Clippers
F/C Kevin Love - Minnesota Timberwolves
Reserves
C Dwight Howard - Houston Rockets
F LaMarcus Aldridge - Portland Trail Blazers
F Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks
G Chris Paul - Los Angeles Clippers
G James Harden - Houston Rockets
G Tony Parker - San Antonio Spurs
G Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers
Injury Replacement
F/C Anthony Davis - New Orleans Pelicans
Head Coach: Scott Brooks
Check out more NBA All-Star Game Odds and Props at Sportsbook.ag!
NBA All-Star Game Betting Preview
By Brian Covert
Covers.com
Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference (-4.5, 292.5)
New Orleans is, once again, host to the NBA’s biggest party between the best from the Western and Eastern Conferences.
The last time the Big Easy hosted the annual showdown was in 2008 when the Western Conference, pegged as 5.5-point home favorites, beat their Eastern counterparts 134-128 on a 262-point total. Despite the loss, the East’s LeBron James won his second MVP trophy, amassing 27 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.
Overall, the West has dominated this matchup over the last decade, going 7-3 SU. The average margin of victory over this span, whether it’s the West or East, has been 8.5 points but has not been much closer recently with five points being the largest margin of victory over the last four meetings. The average points scored has been 271.5 with that number ballooning to over 288 points over the last four.
LINE HISTORY: Depending on the book, the West opened as 3.5 to 4.5-point favorites. The total opened at 292.5.
MVP ODDS: Red-hot Kevin Durant is the fave to win MVP honors with current odds at +300. LeBron James follows closely at +325.
INJURY WATCH: Reports say Houston guard James Harden is replacing L.A.’s Kobe Bryant in the West’s starting lineup.
WHAT BOOKS SAY: “We went with the West because their roster just seems to play a little more into the up-tempo, offensive style you’d expect to see in this game. As for the total, it can be tricky because it’s so high. If one coach decided to put any little emphasis on defense you could see us miss the number by as many as 60 points. But we keep the limits low so even if we make a mistake we’ll still be fine.” Jeff Stoneback, sportsbook manager at MGM Mirage in Las Vegas
WHAT SHARPS SAY: “The line probably opened a little high but has since come down which is probably the right thing. You may even see some more movement before tip-off as more books start taking action on it. I am really interested in seeing the back-and-forth between Kevin Durant and LeBron James – they have both been talking about each other recently and haven’t shied away from talk of a showdown Sunday night." Covers Experts' Steve Merril
WHY BET THE EASTERN CONFERENCE: There is no disputing the Western Conference’s dominance over the East this season but the players might just see this as a chance for the East to silence the naysayers if only for a day. Furthermore, some pundits have been quietly saying talking Kevin Durant is now the best player in the game, which won’t go unnoticed by LeBron James. And if “The King:” is motivated I’m not sure an army of All-Stars could stop him.
WHY BET THE WESTERN CONFERENCE: This is a game about offense and the West has a little more offensive depth to their team than the East. If it’s not Kevin Durant, then it’s Steph Curry. If it’s not Curry, then it’s James Harden. Anyways, you get the picture. As well, don’t rule out the fact the game is being played in a Western Conference city and when Anthony Davis is on the floor you can expect the crowd support to boost the rest of his teammates.
TRENDS:
* The West has won four of the last five meetings straight up and covered in five of the last seven (5-1-1 ATS) All-Star Games.
* The East holds a 37-25 all-time SU advantage in the event.
* The over is also an impressive 5-1-1 in the last six All-Star games. Last year was the first time the under played as books set a 295-point total – the highest total bettors had seen in this game in over five years.
* The only player to win All-Star MVP in the last 10 years who wasn’t a starter in the game was Shaquille O’Neal who was named the game’s best player in 2004 and again in 2009.