Disclaimer: The VSiN Daily Newsletter does not recommend betting on NBA All-Star Weekend. It provides this information as a public service for those who insist on doing so anyway.
With that out of the way …
Steve Makinen gave up years ago. The king of betting systems had one for handicapping the NBA All-Star Game.
No more.
Too many format changes. Too little defense — even by NBA All-Star standards.
But VSiN’s NBA bigfoot, Zach Cohen, is undaunted.
On the latest episode of Hardwood Handicappers — and in his written previews — Zach dove headfirst into All-Star Weekend, which now features a three-team round robin, a point-differential tiebreaker and just enough variables to make you say, “Sure, why not?”
In the 3-Point Contest, Zach is buying both the narrative and the number on Damian Lillard. The defending champ hasn’t played all season, but months of standstill rehab shooting might be the perfect training camp for a rack-to-rack sprint. Zach also likes Bobby Portis Over on “Money Balls.”
The Dunk Contest? Zach is fading the short prices and grabbing the long shots — including Jace Richardson, because if there’s even a 1% chance he throws on his dad’s jersey mid-dunk, the judges may already have their 50s ready.
And Sunday’s revamped All-Star Game? Zach has Best Bets on the winning team and the MVP — both grounded in the new format and the idea that somebody might actually care about winning this thing.
Will any of it make sense by Sunday night?
Probably not.
But if you’re playing along, at least do it with a plan.
👉 Zach’s 3-Point and Dunk bets.
👉 Hardwood Handicappers podcast: Watch / Listen
Quick Hits
College Basketball: Unlike the NBA All-Star Game, Steve Makinen still has betting systems for when teams are meeting for the second time in league play. He surfaces the qualifying rematches on today’s menu, so you can test these systems right away.
Greg “Hoops” Peterson has Best Bets for today. On our college basketball page, you’ll also find Josh Appelbaum‘s betting splits analysis later this morning.
Get real-time steam alerts from the DonBest Screen. Sign up now for a 7-day free trial at go.donbest.com. Use the promo code VSIN10 for 10% off your initial subscription.
Olympic Hockey: Jonathan Davis has picks for today’s games, including U.S.-Denmark.
Horse Racing: As mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter, the Risen Star at the Fair Grounds is the big race of the day with 50 Derby qualifying points on the line. Mike Somich, “Mr. Ed” Sehon and the Daily Racing Form’s Marcus Hersh all have picks on our horse racing page.
ICYMI: Mike and Aaron Halterman on the VSiN At The Track podcast: Watch / Listen
