NBA All-Star Weekend has arrived, and hoops-related betting markets remain hot as we quickly approach Sunday's star-studded event in Indianapolis. While player-prop betting on a glorified exhibition game may seem reckless to some, savvy bettors know that value exists within just about every game.
Here's what we won't do: Blindly bet the OVER on the points total of every superstar from Giannis to KD to LeBron. That's a recipe for disaster and a good way to blow your bankroll two months before the regular season concludes.
We must pick our spots and weigh out value before placing wagers. If an over/under projection seems overly inflated for a veteran star, we will bet the UNDER or simply fade the prop. If we find one that seems like a solid value, we will attack it with a modest bet. Easy-peasy.
Let's get into our favorite over/under player props for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the All-Star Weekend festivities!
NBA All-Star prop bets 2024: Best bets for player props
Tyrese Haliburton points: 15.5+ ($1.75)
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle recently lifted Haliburton's minutes restriction now that he has fully recovered from his January hamstring injury, just in time for the second-time All-Star to dazzle the crowd on his home court on Sunday.
Tyrese Haliburton welcomes you to Indy for #NBAAllStar2024 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4iJ6b9o5d7
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 15, 2024
Hali has enjoyed a tremendous season, averaging a league-best 11.7 assists per game to go with a career-high 21.8 points per game and shooting splits of 49/40/85. His elite play has helped Indy become a contender again, with the Pacers firmly entrenched in the top six of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Haliburton will also be less rusty than the majority of his fellow All-Stars since he's joining teammates Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin to compete as "Team Pacers" in the NBA Skills Challenge. The competition will match three teams of three against each other in a battle of fundamentals: shooting, passing, dribbling, and scoring.
Our money's on Haliburton to score 17.5-plus in the actual All-Star Game. Indiana has made this stud point guard the face of its franchise, and before we know it he might end up the face of the league. Doc Rivers might not be the best coach in the history of the game, but he's smart enough to know the hometown fans want to see their guy light it up. Plus odds for a low bar of 15.5 points seem too good for us to pass up.
Tyrese Maxey points: 15+ ($2.65)
As Haliburton has over the last 11 months, Maxey has enjoyed a full breakout at the age of 23. The star 76ers guard has exploded for averages of 25.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting lights-out from all three scoring levels.
Maxey is as hot as ever since the calendar flipped to February, as he posted his second 50-point performance of the season on Feb. 1 and most recently dropped a casual 30 on the Heat. Don't be surprised if the supremely confident point guard goes HAM under the bright lights this Sunday night.
Donovan Mitchell points: 20+ ($1.85)
Mitchell has enjoyed a phenomenal run, and we're starting to think he deserves more consideration on the MVP odds futures market. Cleveland has launched up to second in the East after winning 18 of its past 20 games, a run for which the All-Star guard has been the main catalyst.
Over the Cavs' 22 games since the end of December, Spida has averaged well over 29 points per game and posted 34-plus six times. Now he gets a fourth crack at All-Star MVP, which he has gone for in the past. In Spida's three ASG appearances, the veteran shooting guard has averaged 20.7 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.3 assists. Twenty points at $1.85 is worth a bet.
Two long shots to score 35+ points (non-multi): Devin Booker ($6.50), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10)
Here's a fun way to bet some long shots in a play for a big payday that won't set you back much if none of them hit. Put $12 individually (not multi) on each of these young studs to drop 35 — a total stake of $24 — and if either of the All-Stars hit that mark, we'll walk away with a nice profit.
Here's why we like these stars in particular: both are scoring machines who have never won an NBA MVP of any kind before (league, All-Star, or Finals). Both are young — SGA is 25, Book is 27 — and they seem innately conscious of their legacies.
Book recently started going nuclear to ensure he made the All-Star team as a reserve, and he dropped 20 points in his last ASG. SGA is second on the MVP odds boards behind two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. If we're going to get a new MVP, it could very well be one of these two.
A different NBA All-Star Game MVP has been announced in each of the past six seasons. Jayson Tatum, a young perennial MVP candidate, balled out last year with an All-Star record of 55 points. Could one of these guys try to one-up that total to nab the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP trophy? In a year full of inflated scoring stats, we wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
