By The Associated Press
All-Star weekend has started. It’s in San Francisco this year, and the NBA’s annual midseason showcase is underway.
There are three nights of on-court events, highlighted by the Rising Stars competition for first- and second-year players on Friday, the dunk and 3-point contest on Saturday and then the All-Star Game on Sunday.
It’s a new format for the All-Star Game this year. It’s now a mini-tournament with games going only to 40 points.
Here’s some of what to know about All-Star weekend:
Where to watch this weekend’s events?
Mostly TNT and truTV. Here’s the rundown (all times Eastern):
Friday — All-Star celebrity game, 7 p.m. (ESPN); Rising Stars competition, 9 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
Saturday — NBA All-Star practice, 2 p.m. (NBA TV); NBA HBCU Classic, 5 p.m. (truTV, NBA TV, Max and ESPN+); All-Star Saturday Night, 8 p.m. (TNT and truTV)
Sunday — NBA All-Star Game, 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max); NBA All-Star postgame (NBA TV).
Who are the All-Stars?
The All-Stars are split into three teams of eight players this year, drafted by TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. The rundown:
Chuck’s Global Stars: Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, Houston’s Alperen Sengun, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta’s Trae Young. (Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was supposed to play but cannot because of injury. Young replaced him for the game.)
Shaq’s OGs: Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Dallas’ Kyrie Irving, Boston teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard and the Los Angeles Clippers’ James Harden. (Dallas’ Anthony Davis was supposed to play but cannot because of injury. Irving replaced him for the game.)
Kenny’s Young Stars: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, Cleveland teammates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Miami’s Tyler Herro.
What’s the All-Star Game format?
The NBA has made the All-Star Game a mini-tournament this year, with four teams playing games to 40 points. There’s no clock (other than the shot clock) and nobody fouls out.
The fourth team in the tournament will be the one that wins the Rising Stars competition on Friday. For All-Star Game purposes, it will be called Candace’s Rising Stars, in honor of Candace Parker.
The semifinal matchups: Chuck’s Global Stars vs. Kenny’s Young Stars, Shaq’s OGs vs. Candace’s Rising Stars.
Who are the betting favorites?
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Team Shaq is the All-Star favorite at +155, just ahead of Team Chuck (+165). Team Kenny is at +375 and Team Candace is at +650.
For the Skills Competition, it’s Team Cavs (Mitchell and Mobley) as the favorites. They’re at +200, just ahead of Team Spurs (Wembanyama and Chris Paul, +225), Team Warriors (Draymond Green and Moses Moody, +275) and Team Rooks (Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher and Washington’s Alex Sarr, +375).
And Lillard is favored to win his third consecutive 3-point contest, with odds of +375. Herro and Garland are both +500, tied as the second choice, just ahead of Buddy Hield and the Clippers’ Norman Powell (both +525).
