Sunday's Best NBA Bet
Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference (+1, 267.5)
These two sides have been about as evenly matched as possibly the past two decades. Despite a huge disparity in the depth of either conference, the star power matches up fairly evenly.
Since the 1990-91 season, the Eastern Conference leads the series 10-9. However, the Western Conference has been on the end of larger victories, owning an average score advantage of 130.8-126.5 over that span. There also have been plenty of close games in the series – just not many.
The East’s 141-139 win represented just the fourth time in 20 seasons that the game has been decided by a single basket. Over that span, only five meetings have been decided by fewer than 10 points. And in a game with so many intangibles, it will be interesting to see how new teammates play with each other.
"We'll be rivals once again when we walk out of here," the Heat’s LeBron James said. "But for right now, we're trying to win for each other."
But one very interesting note to watch will be the way the Los Angeles crowd reacts to the game. L.A. fans loathe the Heat, Knicks and Boston – teams whose players make up eight of 12 slots on the East. Meantime, Los Angeles will have hometown boys Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Blake Griffin to go nuts over.
It might be a small edge, but in an expectedly tight game, it’s all the advantage one side needs.
Pick: Western Conference
NBA All-Star Game: What Bettors Need to Know
Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference (+1, 267.5)
The balance of power and player talent between the NBA’s two conferences is no longer uneven like Reggie Miller’s old fade hairdo. Thanks to some good drafting and free-agent acquisitions, the East’s A-list of All-Stars has never been stronger – at least not in the post-Michael Jordan years.
Here’s a look each conference’s roster and which side has the edge at each position:
Point guard
Derrick Rose gets my vote for MVP but even with the Chicago Bulls third-year guard, the East come up a little short in this department. Rajon Rondo is the only true backup to Rose but coach Doc Rivers could easily use LeBron James or Joe Johnson to run the point in a pinch.
The fans voted Chris Paul as the starter but the West gets the nod in this category because of CP3’s teammates on the bench. Gregg Popovich can rest easy handing the keys over to Deron Williams or Russell Westbrook.
Paul is a natural distributor while Rose’s first instinct is to attack and look for his own shot. The normal flow in an All-Star game is to get everyone else involved early, which will be easy for Paul but not quite as simple for Rose.
Edge: West
Wing players
The West’s starting trio of Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant is hard to top but bettors should keep in mind that that these three players don’t exactly complement each other well. Each guy’s best skill is shooting the rock – not passing it. Kobe and Melo did have terrific chemistry while playing on Team USA, though.
Meanwhile the East’s dynamic duo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have a half season of playing together under their belts and seem to know the best places to find each other. Joe Johnson and Ray Allen will see most of the action backing these two up while Rivers tries to rest his banged up star Paul Pierce.
The West only true wing player off the pine is Manu Ginobili, although, some would argue that 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki is more small than power at the forward position because of his reluctance to post up or rebound.
Edge: East
Big men
For years this is the one area the East couldn’t match its opponents. The West had the better frontcourt for what seemed like more than a decade. Well, the times they are a changing.
Popovich announced Tim Duncan will start in place of the injured Yao Ming as the West’s center. Rookie Blake Griffin is sure to get lots of minutes and alley-oop attempts while Kevin Love and Pau Gasol are the other two bigs who’ll man the paint for the West.
The East, meanwhile, possess the league’s best center (Dwight Howard), the best power forward (Amare Stoudemire) and the favorite to win this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award (Kevin Garnett). And that’s not even mentioning Chris Bosh and Al Horford.
Edge: East
Notes to know:
There have been whispers about Stoudemire possibly sitting out the All-Star Game on Sunday to rest his ailing body. The Knicks have him playing a ton of minutes and there’s no doubt he’d love a weekend to get some rest. Keep your ears open.
Rivers has acknowledged he’ll likely use his four Celtic players as a second unit off the bench. The chemistry there should help the East and don’t forget it’s not just the C’s with a healthy share of players on this team, there should be good flow anytime Rivers puts Miami’s All-Star trio out onto the court too.
Trends
The two sides have split the contest over the last four years but total bettors will be happy to know the over is 3-0-1 in those last four matchups.
Prediction: East 142, West 128
NBA All-Star Game betting preview
By: Stephen Nover
Unlike the NFL’s Pro Bowl, fans and bettors actually care about this all-star game.
Oddsmakers opened the game ‘pick’ or East minus one with an ‘over/under’ of 266, easily the highest total of the season.
Sure, there isn’t going to be any defense played – at least until the final minute – but the stars will be playing hard. Kobe Bryant would like to be named the game’s Most Valuable Player a fourth time, especially on his home court.
Blake Griffin also should shine since the Los Angeles Clippers play at Staples Center, too. Griffin and former UCLA stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love are playing in their first All-Star Game. They all should be highly motivated.
Carmelo Anthony wouldn’t mind seizing the national stage to tantalize would be suitors since he wants to leave Denver.
LeBron James always is tough in this game averaging 23.7 points, five rebounds and five assists in six all-star performances, while twice being selected MVP.
It was Dwayne Wade, though, who captured MVP honors in last year’s game. Wade scored 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in helping the East beat the West, 141-139, as one-point favorites at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The combined 280 points went ‘over’ the 262-point total.
The West won two years ago, 146-119, as 3½-point ‘chalk.’ The combined 265 points snuck ‘over’ the 263-point total.
The East is averaging 129.2 points during the last seven all-star games. The West is averaging 133.8 points in the last seven years. The ‘over’ has cashed in three of the past four games.
The East is 4-2 ATS in the last six matchups.
Boston’s Doc Rivers and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich are the head coaches for the game.
Rivers’ East squad is composed mainly of players from the Celtics, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Wade, James, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and Al Horford all chosen. They total nine of the 12 players picked with the others being Derrick Rose, Amare Stoudamire and Dwight Howard.
That could mean more cohesion with these players used to their teammates. Every player on the East has been chosen for at least one all-star team. The West has three first-year all-stars and two others playing in their second all-star game.
The East also figures to have an advantage with Howard inside and James creating mismatches. Howard is averaging 16.5 points and nine rebounds in four all-star appearances.
Stoudamire is dealing with a sore toe, but he’s played well during five all-star games for the West when he was with Phoenix. He’s averaged 17 points, shot 58 percent from the floor and hauled down eight rebounds per game in his all-star history.
Stoudamire has become even more of an offensive force with the New York Knicks ranking No. 2 in the league in scoring at 26.1 points per game.
The West can’t match Howard in the middle. Tim Duncan is going to start at center for the West for the 12th consecutive year. Duncan is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, but this season the aging star is averaging a career-low 13.4 points and 9.2 rebounds.
The strength of the West will be its front line scoring with NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant, Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol.
The backcourt of the West isn’t too shabby either with Bryant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams and the much underrated Westbrook.