The NBA All-Star Saturday festivities will kick things off with the Kia Skills Challenge at 8 p.m. ET. All of this evening's events will broadcast live on TNT from the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Continue below for our NBA picks and predictions for the All-Star 3-Skills Challenge tonight.
NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Predictions, Picks, Odds
Team Cavs to Win Skills Challenge (+200)
By Matt Moore
I actually kind of like this event, if guys were to actually go super hard for it, it would be super-fun. I love getting the favorite, the Cavs, with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley at +200.
Mitchell is both effortlessly athletic and extremely skilled, so there’s not a function of it (shooting passing dribbling) I’m worried about, and Mobley has grown so much as a shooter I have confidence in him.
The rest of the field either has speed issues or shooting issues. I’ll take Cavs +200.
PICK: Team Cavs (+200)
Team Cavs to Win Skills Challenge (+200)
By Alex Hinton
The Cavaliers headed to the All-Star Break tied for the best record in the league. Represented by Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, Team Cavs is also the favorite in the Skills Challenge tonight.
In Mitchell, Team Cavs has the fastest player in this event, which will pay dividends in the team relay, and best shooter. Mitchell is shooting 39.1 from three this season.
Mitchell is known for shooting from deep range and will give his team an edge when shooting from the 30-foot slot worth five points.
His partner is no slouch himself. In fact, Mobley helped Team Cavs win this event in 2022 with teammates Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen when Cleveland host All-Star Weekend.
Since then, the 23-year-old has expanded his game as well. He is shooting a career-high 37.8% on 2.8 3-point attempts per game this season. He is also averaging three assists per game.
Between Mitchell and Mobley, Team Cavs has the most well-rounded duo. I like their chances of collecting the 200 challenge points to take another Skills Challenge Title.
PICK: Team Cavs (+200)
Team Cavs to Win Skills Challenge (+200)
The NBA has slightly adjusted to the Kia Skills Challenge this year, reducing the number of players per squad from three to two and the teams from four to three.
However, the format will remain relatively the same, with the players timed on how quickly they can complete passes through moving targets, dribble down the court and knock down key jump shots on some designated spots on the court.
The four teams competing in this year’s event are the following:
- Cavaliers – Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley (+200)
- Spurs – Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama (+220)
- Warriors – Draymond Green and Moses Moody (+230)
- Rookies – Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher (+430)
My first thought is to eliminate the rookie team simply because they’re rookies. Frankly, I almost feel they’re there solely to ensure an even distribution of participants.
The Warriors are also an easy pass for me because I have doubts about Green’s ability in the shooting portion of the competition when he has to make a 3-pointer from the middle of the court and one from the corner.
Somehow, I can’t forget the image of opposing players practically turning their back to Green whenever he had an open 3-pointer.
As for the Spurs, they are a dark horse, but Paul has yet to win this event in five previous attempts. The veteran point guard has dropped to 35.9% from 3-point range after shooting 37% in his last two seasons.
Wembanyama is slightly worse at 35.2%.
Lastly, the Cavaliers are a deserving favorite, given the kind of season they’re having. They’re tied with the Thunder for the best record (44-10) in the league, as Mitchell leads the team with 23.9 points per game while also shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc.
Mobley also isn’t too far behind at 37.8% from the perimeter. The Cavs power forward won the competition in 2022 alongside teammates Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen.
Since this event is essentially a two-horse race, we’re getting a favorable price with Cleveland’s odds at +200. My projections suggest the Cavs should be closer to +150, making Cleveland our best bet to win the event.
PICK: Team Cavs (+200)
