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2021 NBA All-Star Game Odds and Picks

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Mar 6, 2021 · 6:00 AM PST

LeBron James looking up with warm up on
LeBron James is looking to go 4-0 as Team Captain in All-Star Game play, as he takes on Team Durant in Atlanta Sunday. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
  • Team LeBron James the betting favorite vs Team Durant in NBA All-Star Game
  • James looking to move to 4-0 as player captain in All-Star Game format
  • Check the odds, analysis and betting preview below

If his All-Star GM track record is any indication, LeBron James may just have an executive role for an NBA team in the future — maybe even one that he owns.

For now, we’ll see how his draft work plays out Sunday night, as he seeks a fourth straight All-Star Game win, when his squad battles Team Durant at the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta as 3.5-point favorites.

Team LeBron vs Team Durant All-Star Game Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Team LeBron -166 +3.5 (-110) O 309.5 (-110)
Team Durant +140 -3.5 (-110) U 309.5 (-110)

Odds taken March 5th at FanDuel.

Even with little interest from players leading up to this midseason game in the middle of a global pandemic, if it’s close as we get to the final target score, the competitive juices of the best players in the world should take over.

Team Durant Roster Flux

Perhaps the biggest blow to Team Durant is that captain Kevin Durant won’t play because of a hamstring injury. Durant the GM may have put the squad behind the 8-ball early too, when he used his first overall pick on Brooklyn Nets teammate Kyrie Irving.

Irving is no slouch, but he likely would have still been available with Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic on the board — all MVP candidates — as well as the greatest shooter in NBA history in Steph Curry.

Team Durant got even more bad news when Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker pulled out of the big game with a knee injury (he’s also out of the 3-point contest). He’ll be replaced by Utah guard Mike Conley, making his first-ever all-star appearance.

Durant’s roster can score, it’s actually one of the few statistical categories where his team has the advantage according to figures compiled by ESPN Stats & Information, led by the NBA’s top two scorers in Bradly Beal and Joel Embiid. They also enjoy a slight advantage in total three-pointers made and three-point percentage.

With his first pick of the reserves, KD selected James Harden, a three-time scoring champion, the only former MVP on the roster (minus Durant), currently leading the league in assists. But Harden’s All-Star game resume is thin. He has averaged just 11.8 points in his last four appearances, and has scored 20+ just twice in eight trips.

LeBron Rounds Out Roster

Even though Team Durant has a scoring advantage, Team LeBron is not lacking in that category, as outlined by my colleague Robert Duff, boasting the four of the top-7 scorers in the league, including the 3-4-5 scorers in Curry, Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Doncic, who is seventh.

Team LeBron also has the edge in assists, where he nabbed five of the top 11 setup men in the league, including Chris Paul (4th), Doncic (5th), Jokic (7th) Lillard (8th) and Ben Simmons (11th). James himself is 10th.

And this collection of stars also betters Team Durant in field goal percentage (51.4% to 49.5%) and has recorded 375 dunks on the year to KD’s group with 219. Expect them to attack the tin early and often.

It’s clear James prefers players that are multi-faceted: Team LeBron players have put up 29 triple-doubles on the year, with six players recording multiple triple doubles. Team Durant has totaled 10, with Harden accounting for eight of them.

Defensively, Simmons is the hot pick for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and will be joined by Rudy Gobert, a previous winner of the award. Gobert is also second in the NBA in rebounding, and he’ll be flanked in the glass battle by a talented group of bigs with Giannis (3rd in rebounding), Domantas Sabonis (9th) and Jokic (10th).

What’s the Best Bet?

Not every all-star is equal. And James seems to have plucked the upper tier in 2021. His starting unit has 34 All-Star appearances among them, which is just five less than Durant’s entire roster (39). Minus Embiid, six of the seven top MVP favorties are on Team LeBron.

The James Gang also features 26 total all-NBA first team selections, to just eight from Team Durant. The target score sets a cap on scoring, so taking the total might be a difficult ask. Instead, look for King James to go 4-0 in all-star games when picking his own squad, but in a tight game that, like last season, will likely come down to the last possession.

The pick: Team James ML (-166) & Team Durant +3.5 (-110)

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