NBA All-Star Saturday Night will begin with the Skills Challenge. Although it’s often viewed as an appetizer to the events that follow, some of the biggest names in basketball will be on display in this year’s event, making it one worth watching.
Here’s a look at the latest odds and best bets for the 2025 NBA Skills Challenge.
All NBA odds are current as of Thursday, Feb. 13, at 4 p.m. ET, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NBA Skills Challenge Odds
- Team Spurs (+165): Chris Paul, Victor Wembanyama
- Team Cavs (+210): Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley
- Team Warriors (+425): Draymond Green, Moses Moody
- Team Rooks (+425): Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr
Each team consists of two players, all of whom must complete various drills testing dribbling, shooting, and passing ability.
Team Spurs are favorites because you have a future Hall-of-Fame point guard in Chris Paul playing with teammate Victor Wembanyama, who is an all-around athletic freak who can do it all on the court.
But don’t sleep on Team Cavs with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, each of whom have well-rounded skillsets.
It will be interesting to see what Draymond Green and Moses Moody are able to do in this competition for Team Warriors.
But I’m most intrigued by Team Rooks, featuring a pair of international rookies in Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr.
NBA Skills Challenge Best Bet
Team Spurs (+165)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
This team has the perfect combination of an elite ball-hander and playmaker in Chris Paul with an all-around freakish talent in Victor Wembanyama.
While it’s tough to go with the chalk in a skills competition, I’m still fine with the (+165) price.
Back Team Spurs with your NBA bet of the day.
NBA Skills Challenge Contenders
Team Cavs (+210)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
If there’s one team that can challenge Team Spurs, it’s Team Cavs.
Donovan Mitchell is an elite shooter with terrific dribbling and passing ability. Evan Mobley is far from your traditional big man, offering a more diverse skillset that can translate well to this competition.
At (+210) odds, we’re getting a solid price on Team Cavs here.
Check out the rest of our NBA All-Star predictions and best bets:
- NBA Rising Stars
- NBA 3-Point Contest
- NBA Dunk Contest
- NBA All-Star Game
- NBA All-Star Game Props
- NBA All-Star Game MVP
NBA Skills Challenge Format
The Skills Challenge will consist of three rounds, with each testing a different skill. These are as follows: Team Relay, Team Passing, and Team Shooting.
In Team Relay, each player from each team must complete a course set up on the court that involves various passing, shooting, and dribbling tests. Once the first player on a team completes the course, that team’s next player will begin, and so on until the team has completed the round.
The winning team is the one with the fastest combined completion time. This team will receive 100 challenge points.
In Team Passing, all three players on each team will compete together to hit as many moving passing targets as possible within 30 seconds. These targets are set up between 20 and 35 feet away from the players, and points per target range from two to six points.
The winning team is the one that amasses the most points. This team will receive 100 challenge points.
The final round, Team Shooting, is worth 200 challenge points, making it the most important portion of the event. Here, all three players on a team will share one ball and set up at various marked spots on the court, which are worth anywhere from one to five points.
The team with the most points at the end of the round is the winner. Then, final tallies will be made to determine which team earned the most challenge points throughout the contest, and that team will be crowned as the Skills Challenge champion.
If a tiebreaker is needed, the two teams will compete to make a half-court shot. The first team will have 90 seconds to make the shot, and once their time is set, the second team will attempt to make the shot in less time. Whichever team makes it faster is the winner of the Skills Challenge.
