NBA All-Star Weekend is underway, as Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge and celebrity game kicked off the festivities in Cleveland.
But which stars will take home the hardware during All-Star Saturday?
The night begins with a revamped skills challenge, as three teams of three — Team Cavs, Team Antetokounmpo and Team Rooks — face off. Then, four All-Stars — Zach LaVine, Karl-Anthony Towns, Fred VanVleet and Trae Young — headline an eight-player field for the 3-point contest. The night wraps up with a four-player dunk contest, as electrifying rookie Jalen Green and 2021 runner-up Obi Toppin take the stage.
On Sunday, will Team LeBron capture another All-Star Game win? LeBron James has hit all four of his previous All-Star captains’ drafts — will he make it five? Either way, with Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland on LeBron’s roster, the two should have plenty of fun putting on a show for the fans inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Our NBA experts are picking the winners for Saturday and Sunday’s action, including which player will take home the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award.
All-Star Saturday: Skills, 3-point and dunk contests
Jamal Collier
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Skills: Team Cavs
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3s: Trae Young
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Dunks: Jalen Green
Nick DePaula
Nick Friedell
Israel Gutierrez
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Skills: Team Cavs
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3s: Karl-Anthony Towns
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Dunks: Jalen Green
Andrew Lopez
Tim MacMahon
Bobby Marks
Dave McMenamin
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Skills: Team Rooks
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3s: Zach LaVine
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Dunks: Obi Toppin
Kevin Pelton
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Skills: Team Cavs
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3s: Patty Mills
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Dunks: Obi Toppin
Jorge Sedano
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Skills: Team Rooks
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3s: Trae Young
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Dunks: Jalen Green
Ramona Shelburne
André Snellings
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Skills: Team Rooks
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3s: Karl-Anthony Towns
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Dunks: Jalen Green
Marc J. Spears
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Skills: Team Rooks
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3s: Patty Mills
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Dunks: Jalen Green
Ohm Youngmisuk
Results:
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Skills contest: Team Antetokounmpo 5, Team Cavs 4, Team Rooks 5.
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3-point contest: Patty Mills 3, Trae Young 3, Karl Anthony-Towns 2, Zach LaVine 2, Luke Kennard 2, Desmond Bane 1, Fred VanVleet 1.
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Dunk contest: Jalen Green 11, Obi Toppin 2, Cole Anthony 1.
NBA All-Star Game picks: Winner and MVP
Jamal Collier
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Team LeBron
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MVP: LeBron James
Nick DePaula
Nick Friedell
Israel Gutierrez
Andrew Lopez
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Team LeBron
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MVP: Darius Garland
Tim MacMahon
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Team LeBron
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MVP: LeBron James
Bobby Marks
Dave McMenamin
Kevin Pelton
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Team LeBron
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MVP: LeBron James
Jorge Sedano
Ramona Shelburne
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Team LeBron
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MVP: DeMar DeRozan
André Snellings
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Team LeBron
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MVP: LeBron James
Marc J. Spears
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Team LeBron
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MVP: LeBron James
Ohm Youngmisuk
Results:
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Winner: Team LeBron 12, Team Durant 2.
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All-Star Game MVP: LeBron James 5, Giannis Antetokounmpo 4, DeMar DeRozan 2, Devin Booker 1, Luka Doncic 1, Darius Garland 1.