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WNBA All-Star Friday Best Bets
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. | |
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend tips off on Friday night with the WNBA 3-point contest and the WNBA Skills Challenge, and we’re here to help celebrate with everything you need to know for your WNBA Friday All-Star bets.
Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu aren't competing in the 3-point contest during the All-Star festivities, but there's still plenty of fun — and betting value — to be had on Friday night. In fact, our staff has four WNBA best bets and picks for All-Star Friday night.
Friday night's vibes come to you live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game. Below, we'll dive into our WNBA 3-Point Contest Best Bets, our WNBA Skills Challenge Best Bets, and the latest odds for each.
The full list of WNBA 3-Point Contest participants is: Kayla McBride, Marina Mabrey, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray and Jonquel Jones. The full list of WNBA Skills Challenge participants is: Kelsey Mitchell, Marina Mabrey, Sophie Cunningham, Allisha Gray and Brittney Griner. Both Mabrey and Gray are participating in both WNBA Friday All-Star events.
Kelsey Mitchell is in the Skills Challenge in place of Erica Wheeler of the Indiana Fever, who was unable to make it to Phoenix in time due to Friday's CrowdStrike technical issues that affected thousands of flights. Unfortunately, Wheeler to Win the Skills Challenge was one of our best bets for tonight, but we do still have another pick on that competition.
In addition to considering things like 3-pointers made and 3-point shot attempts this season by each of the contestants when making your WNBA All-Star Friday bets, it's also important to shop around for the best 3-Point Contest odds. Earlier in the day on Friday, Kayla McBride, the favorite to win the 2024 WNBA 3-Point Contest, was +140 at DraftKings; she is now +150 just hours before the festivities.
With all of that in mind, let's get to our WNBA All-Star Friday picks!
WNBA 3-Point Contest Odds
| 3-Point Contestant | Odds | Chance to Win |
|---|---|---|
| Kayla McBride | +150 | 36.44% |
| Marina Mabrey | +425 | 17.35% |
| Jonquel Jones | +475 | 15.84% |
| Allisha Gray | +500 | 15.18% |
| Stefanie Dolson | +500 | 15.18% |
Odds via DraftKings. Chance to win is fair implied probability with the vigorish removed. The competition will have a first round where the top two scorers advance to the final round.
WNBA 3-Point Contest Picks (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Kayla McBride
To Win 3-Point Contest (+140 or Better)
The first thing that stuck out to me when evaluating the participants was that some of the elite guard shooters weren't in the contest. It's dominated by wings and bigs, with one guard in Allisha Gray competiting.
In these competitions, we have to prioritize reps, form and movement shooting, but also stamina is a sneaky element as well. It's akin to baseball players going 30 swings in a minute in a home run derby.
With only one guard in the field, I wasn't hesitant to shy away from picking a forward. My choice is Kayla McBride, which is a bit obvious because she has the shortest odds in the field.
However, her three-point shooting form is elite, her efficiency is through the roof this season (she's emphasized the word efficiency in interviews) and recently, she's had a huge usage rate with Napheesa Collier out for the Lynx.
McBride has been getting tons of reps and is often taking quick shots while operating off movement. Her knack to knock them down is unbelievable.
The market has about a 15% hold, which is 3x betting into a game spread or total, so edges need to feel stronger to make bets here.
Despite really liking the candidate against the field, I advise a small wager because it's a difficult market to beat regularly, so our approach even in a one off shouldn't change.
Pick: Kayla McBride to Win 3-Point Contest (+140 or Better)
Kayla McBride
To Win 3-Point Contest (+140 or Better)
McBride hasn't won the 3-point contest, but she's a deserved favorite this time around. She's competed in this twice — in 2018 and 2019 — and is the best catch-and-shoot threat in this field.
In these battles, you'd prefer backing someone who can catch-and-shoot or is a movement shooter (pardon the hipster term) who peels off screens and is used to being in position to shoot as opposed to constantly creating off the dribble.
Allie Quigley won this four times, for example. Ionescu won it last year, though she's adept at both and is an elite shooter.
McBride is the favorite, but I have no problem betting her at this number.
Pick: Kayla McBride to Win 3-Point Contest (+140 or Better)
Jonquel Jones
To Score 24+ Points (+250)
By Jim Turvey
The WNBA three-point contest will take place Friday night as the marquee event of the lead-in to All-Star Weekend. It appears the market as a whole is too low on many of these players' ability to hit 3s (if you follow in the app, you know that I posted the over and alt overs for every player last night), but it is especially low on Jonquel Jones.
At current odds, she is my favorite bet to win, but I like focusing on her even more narrowly for my best bet: For her to score 24+ points in Round 1 is +250.
Jones has competed in this event before, and she cleared that total in both her rounds. This number implies her chances of doing so again are less than 30%. I would play this line at any plus number.
Pick: Jonquel Jones to Score 24+ Points (+250)
WNBA Skills Challenge Odds
| Contestant | Odds | Chance to Win |
|---|---|---|
| Sophie Cunningham | +275 | 23.80% |
| Allisha Gray | +275 | 23.80% |
| Marina Mabrey | +350 | 19.83% |
| Kelsey Mitchell | +350 | 19.83% |
| Brittney Griner | +600 | 12.75% |
Odds via DraftKings. Chance to win is fair implied probability with the vigorish removed.
WNBA Skills Challenge Picks (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Allisha Gray To Win Skills Competition
Editor's note: This pick was originally on Erica Wheeler to win the Skills Challenge, but she will not be participating. Our expert's next best option was Allisha Gray. Here is his previous analysis in its entirety:
The skills competition is one of my favorite events to handicap in basketball because there's an actual trick to use here. This competition prioritizes speed, dribbling, passing and 3-point shooting, so you want a ball dominant player and usually a guard.
While Brittney Griner is one of the league's best and most skilled players, she isn't suited for a strong showing in this event.
Marina Mabrey is a forward who often plays off-ball with the ability to shoot and play physical. She's in the 3-point contest as well, but her practice time and skill type isn't great for this either.
Once we narrow down the field to a few target candidates, the trick is to wait until you know the order of the contestants and cancel out the first person to go. The first player sets a target time where every contestant after is trying to beat, so they're the "hunted."
My preference is Erica Wheeler (+300), who plays for the incredibly fast-paced Indiana Fever. However, if she goes first, I would prefer to grab Allisha Gray.
