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.
Team Jazz won’t be defending their crown, either, which means a new group of three will become Skills Challenge champions this weekend.
Here’s a look at the latest odds and best bets for the 2024 NBA Skills Challenge.
All NBA odds are current as of Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 4 p.m. ET, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NBA Skills Challenge Odds
- Team Top Picks (+140): Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama
- Team All-Stars (+160): Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, Trae Young
- Team Pacers (+210): Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Myles Turner
Each team consists of three players, all of whom must complete various drills testing dribbling, shooting, and passing ability.
Team Top Picks features two All-Stars (Banchero, Edwards) and one of the most talented rookies of the generation (Wembanyama). Shooting could be a challenge for this group, but Ant’s competitive nature could help drive Team Top Picks to success.
Team All-Stars has arguably the most loaded roster, with all three players landing on this year’s Eastern Conference All-Star team. This group has no obvious weaknesses.
Team Pacers rosters the event’s best player (Haliburton) and has home-court advantage, which worked out well for last year’s champs, Team Jazz. Mathurin and Turner are natural fits for each facet of the competition, and Haliburton was practically born to win the Skills Challenge.
NBA Skills Challenge Best Bet
Team All-Stars (+160)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
There’s nothing this team can’t do. Maxey and Young are terrific scorers and playmakers — factors that will come into play in all three rounds — while Barnes is a prime example of the modern point forward.
Shooting has been an issue for Barnes in the past, but he’s dramatically improved that aspect of his game this season, increasing his three-point percentage from 28.1% in 2023-23 to 35.8% in 2023-24.
The sheer amount of talent and all-around skill on this roster is unparalleled. Unless Maxey or Young goes ice-cold in the shooting round, the Skills Challenge will be this group’s to lose.
Back Team All-Stars with your NBA bet of the day.
NBA Skills Challenge Contenders
Team Pacers (+210)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
Haliburton’s game aligns perfectly with the Skills Challenge. A brilliant passer, ball-handler, and shooter, he can excel in all three rounds and help carry Team Pacers to an upset.
His sidekicks aren’t bad, either. Mathurin can put his athleticism on display in the relay round, and Turner’s coveted ability to stretch the floor will come in handy for the shooting drills. Plus, Haliburton’s passing should more than make up for his teammates’ potential struggles in the second round.
The hometown team deserves a sprinkle at (+210).
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.
