NBA All-Star Saturday Night will begin with the Skills Challenge, which features an exciting group of players and an interesting format. Rather than being an individual contest, the Skills Challenge will be played out between three teams, all of which are bonded in unique ways.
Here are the latest NBA Skills Challenge odds, as well as my best bets for the event.
NBA Skills Challenge Odds
All NBA odds are current as of Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. ET, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Team Jazz (-120)
- Team Rooks (+140)
- Team Antetokounmpos (+475)
Before continuing to read about Skills Challenge lines, take a peek at the latest futures and daily bets with our NBA Odds widget:
Three teams will compete in the NBA Skills Challenge: Team Jazz (Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton), Team Rooks (Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Jabari Smith Jr.), and Team Antetokounmpos (Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo).
NBA Skills Challenge Best Bet
Team Rooks (+140) at DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
The rookie team is the only one without an obvious weak link, and because this is a team event, that makes them my choice to win the event. Each player on this team can shoot, pass, and dribble pretty effectively, and their balanced effort and ability will be the reason why they take the top spot.
Back Team Rooks and make this your NBA bet of the day.
Check out more of our NBA All-Star Weekend Predictions:
- NBA All-Star Game Best Bets & Predictions
- NBA All-Star Game Props
- NBA All-Star Game MVP Odds
- NBA Three-Point Contest Predictions
- NBA Dunk Contest Predictions
NBA Skills Challenge Contenders
Team Antetokounmpos (+475) at DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
There may not be a more skilled player in the game today than Giannis Antetokounmpo, even if the same can’t be said about his brothers. He can put this team on his shoulders, and with a little luck, they could pull off an upset.
At (+475) odds, this is worth a sprinkle.
NBA Skills Challenge Format
The Skills Challenge will consist of three rounds, and each round tests 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.
