Odds to Win MVP of Rising Stars Game: Zion Slightly Favored Over Ja Morant
- Zion comes in as the +250 favorite to win Rising Stars MVP honor
- Kevin Durant’s 46 points still a Rising Stars game record — can anyone surpass that this year?
- Find out which players are worth betting on to record a triple-double
It’s NBA All-Star weekend, which means much of the spotlight will shine bright on the league’s rising stars.
Zion Williamson and Ja Morant highlight this weekend’s Rising Stars Game. Will either take home the MVP honors?
Sportsbooks released their latest Rising Stars Game MVP odds, which shows Zion as the early +250 favorite. However, Morant is not far behind at +300.
Here’s a closer look at the MVP odds for this weekend’s rising stars game and analysis on the best bet.
NBA All-Star Rising Stars Game MVP Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Zion Williamson | +250 |
| Ja Morant | +300 |
| Luka Doncic | +500 |
| Trae Young | +500 |
| Kenrick Nunn | +900 |
| RJ Barrett | +900 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | +1200 |
| Collin Sexton | +1400 |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | +1400 |
| Deandre Ayton | +1600 |
Odds taken on Feb. 13.
The game pits the NBA’s top world players against American rising stars — a mix of rookies and second-year players, which includes Luka Doncic (+500) of the Dallas Mavericks and Trae Young (+500) of the Atlanta Hawks.
In 2019, second-year star Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers won MVP honors, but the year prior, it was rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Sacramento Kings that took home the honor.
Who holds the edge to win the Rising Stars Game MVP heading into All-Star Weekend — the rookies or second-year NBA stars?
Only four nineteen-year-olds have ever put up at least 31 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists:
😤 KD
😤 LeBron
😤 Luka
😤 Zion pic.twitter.com/cqPIaB7lPD— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 12, 2020
Zion Favorite To Win Rising Stars MVP
Williamson is the favorite and for good reason. Despite missing a good part of the NBA season, Zion has not missed a beat since returning from a knee injury. The 19-year-old rookie scored 17 point in his NBA debut and is averaging 21 PPG with 7.7 RPG through nine games with the New Orleans Pelicans.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1226666618115194881
While the Rising Stars Game is meant to be a friendly game between the league’s best upcoming stars, Zion may have a little more to prove after losing ground to Ja Morant in the overall Rookie of the Year race.
Morant has had a solid rookie campaign with the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 17.6 PPG and 7.1 APG through 48 games played this season.
Pick: Zion Williamson (+250)
NBA Rising Stars Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team USA (-7.5) | -110 |
| World (+7.5) | -110 |
A player to watch closely will be second-year star Young, who surprisingly sits third in NBA scoring with an average of 29.7 PPG. Only James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo are averaging more points per game this season.
The price of +500 that Doncic wins MVP honors also presents high value considering the Mavericks guard also ranks among the top 10 in league scoring at 28.9 PPG.
Books also offer other enticing odds on the Rising Stars game, including which team comes out on top. Team USA opened as 7.5-point favorites on Thursday, paying out at -110.
Pick: World +7.5 (-110)
NBA Rising Stars Prop Bets
| Will Player Break 46-points Rising Stars Record? | Odds |
|---|---|
| No | -2500 |
| Yes | +1000 |
| Will Any Player Record a Triple Double? | Odds |
| No | -2000 |
| Yes | +700 |
Kevin Durant still holds the record for most points scored in a NBA Rising Stars game, netting 46 in 2009. The record has been untouched, but what are the odds a player tops that mark on the weekend?
The latest odds show No as the heavy favorite and Yes coming in as the enticing +1000 long shot. Both rosters have rising stars that could hit that mark, but it would be an uphill climb to surpass KD’s 46.
A more likely scenario is a player recording a triple double in the game. Zion would be the perfect example of a player that could hit the triple-double mark. Doncic is averaging triple-double numbers all season and could be another player to accomplish the feat.
Angelo Montilla is a writer, visual design instructor and graphic designer based on the East Coast. As a journalism graduate, his experience in the media industry spans more than 15 years and includes work with Nation Network, SportsBreak, Featurd, Hockey Writers and the Windsor Star.
