NBA All Star Weekend Betting Odds: Rising Stars Challenge
Carrie Stroup here with your NBA All Star Weekend betting odds and more specifically the 2015 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge.
Sportsbook.ag Line: USA -3.5, Total: 281.0
The NBA puts on a showcase of its future when first and second year players from the U.S. and around the world battle over All-Star Weekend.
The Rising Stars Challenge will change up its format this year from the usual rookie versus sophomore of the past and peg the players from U.S. soil against the growing group of youngsters coming from other countries. The sophomores dominate this year’s installment of this exciting game with 13 participants being second-year players as opposed to eight rookies being selected. Team USA has just three first-year players and will feature three pairs of teammates with Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton coming from the Magic, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad from the Timberwolves and Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel from the 76ers. Minnesota is also well represented on the world squad with both Gorgui Dieng and Andrew Wiggins playing, a testament to a team that is headed in the right direction.
The one injury replacement that was needed so far came for the world team as Steven Adams sits out and will be replaced with Bosnian C Jusuf Nurkic of the Denver Nuggets. C Kelly Olynyk and PG Michael Carter-Williams are also dealing with injuries and are unlikely to play. <P>
The USA team is dominated by guards with last year’s Rookie of the Year, PG Michael Carter-Williams (15.0 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG), being one of the biggest names in the group. He continues to put up some nice numbers this season but is shooting horribly (38% FG) and is dealing with a toe injury. SG Victor Oladipo (16.5 PPG) has made nice strides between his first and second year and has emerged as a leader for the Magic in his 35 minutes per game.
There are three other PGs on this squad in Trey Burke (12.6 PPG, 4.7 APG), Zach LaVine (7.6 PPG, 3.2 APG) and Elfrid Payton (7.9 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.6 SPG) and they all come with some holes in their game. Burke has been unable to take a stranglehold on the starting point guard position in Utah despite plenty of injuries to the backcourt court, LaVine has extreme explosiveness and earned some nice playing time when injuries plagued his club, but still lacks a consistent shot, and Elfrid Payton has the ability to fill up the stat sheet but looks like a Rondo-lite with his poor shooting (42% FG, 54% FT).
SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (11.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG) rounds out the guard position and will give the team a solid defender who also struggles with his shot (39% FG). Only three forwards will be represented in this group with the only SF being Shabazz Muhammad (13.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG) who has showed what he can do during this breakout campaign with eight 20+ point performances in his 36 games played. The PFs are led by rookie Nerlens Noel (8.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.7 GP, 1.6 SPG) who has been a force on defense and he is joined by PF Cody Zeller (7.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG) who has done little to put fear in his opponents. The only true center will be Mason Plumlee (10.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG) of the Nets who has opened some eyes with 11 double-doubles as he saw some more playing time with Brook Lopez on the mend.
The world has some more fire power on its side as it is led by the first pick in last year’s draft, SF Andrew Wiggins (15.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG), and emerging superstar SG Giannis Antetokounmpo (12.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG). Wiggins has lived up to his early pick and was huge in January with 19.8 PPG. Antetokounmpo has also been showing up and is hot going into this game, going for a double-double in four of his last seven performances before the break.
Another top pick from last year’s draft, PG Dante Exum (4.7 PPG, 2.3 APG), will join PG Dennis Schroder (8.5 PPG, 3.5 APG) as the two ball distributors and it has been Schroder who has embraced his role as a backup on a solid team who is drawing plenty of praises around the league. Exum has been able to join the starting rotation for his club, but has done little offensively and hasn’t scored in double-digits since January 24th (9 games). SF Bojan Bogdanovic (7.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG) is the other SF with Wiggins on the team and has had some issues with his coach this year, going in and out of the rotation for the Nets.
The big-men on this side of the ball are much better represented than the U.S. team with PF Nikola Mirotic (7.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG) along with Cs Gorgui Dieng (9.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG), Jusuf Nurkic 7.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG) and Rudy Gobert (6.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.2 BPG) all having solid seasons. Mirotic has allowed the Bulls a SF/PF hybrid that can put up points in bunches with his range as evidenced by a 27-point outburst on 6-of-6 shooting from behind the arc against Memphis back in late January. Each of the centers have embraced an extended starting role at some point this year and it was Gobert who made the most headlines with his eight double-doubles since January 20th as he gives the team a defensive presence down low. Dieng gives the team another great rebounder and Nurkic has performed well since been given the starting job in Denver after the trade of Mozgov to the Cavs.
