The Step Back’s Official Guide to All-Star Weekend 2018 prop bets
Betting is a huge part of sports in 2018 and the NBA is no different. Over the course of this weekend, plenty of people will be wagering on things like will there be over or under 28 dunks in the All-Star Game or the All-Star Game MVP and of course the winners of the important Saturday night contests. But there won’t be wagering on a lot of the really important things from this weekend. Things like will Russell Westbrook try and dunk on Kevin Durant despite being on the same team. Or will LeBron James make a flat Earth joke when he is interviewed at some point during Saturday’s proceedings? Because Vegas is scared to set lines for those type of things.
Luckily, we here at The Step Back aren’t. So if you are looking for the really important and interesting prop bets for All-Star Weekend look no further. While all of these lines are completely made up and no official, I am willing to take any and all money people want to send in when they lose the bets. If you are interested in sending that money to me just hit me up on Twitter for where to send it.
Now onto the important stuff which is broken down by event:
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game 2018 presented by Ruffles
Does Paul Pierce shoot an airball?
Yes: 2/1
No: 5/1
Pierce has not played organized basketball for a few years now and nothing about the way he acts makes me think he has taken care of himself. This feels like a sure yes.
Is there a Nate Robinson/Kevin Hart joke made?
Yes: 2/1
No: 1000/1
We won’t ever actually escape Kevin Hart, will we?
2018 Mountain Dew Kickstarter Rising Stars Game
Which total for Joel Embiid is higher:
Assists: 2/1
Turnovers: 4/1
Lavar Ball jokes: 10/1
Trust the process.
What shoes does Lonzo Ball wear in the game?
Nike: 2/1
Under Armour: 4/1
Adidas: 9/1
Converse: 15/1
Puma: 55/1
Big Baller Brand: 1,000,000/1
LaVar Ball definitely wanted Lonzo to wear some special Big Baller Brand shoes for this weekend but there is a zero percent chance they got made correctly on time. So he is for sure wearing something else.
Who feels the most out of place in this game?
Domantas Sabonis: 3/1
Dario Saric: 5/1
Dillon Brooks: 9/1
Joel Embiid: Nope not even possible.
Give me Brooks as a great value play here. Grit ‘N Grind is a mentality and that won’t work in a game like this.
Taco Bell Skills Challenge
Over/under the number of Tweets wondering who Spencer Dinwiddie is: 1,000
Over: 2/1
Under: 5/1
Spencer is having a great year and it will be a shame but people don’t care about the Nets enough.
Will Lou Williams somehow end up winning a spot in the actual All-Star Game by winning the contest:
Yes: 100/1
No: 2/1
Lou really wants in this game and I won’t put it past him to make it happen.
How many players miss layups during their runs?
0: 2/1
1: 3/1
2: 7/1
3: 10/1
All of them: 5,000,000/1
It feels like it always happens at least one time.
JBL 3-Point Contest
Will there be an airball during the contest?
Yes: 8/1
No: 2/1
Tobias Harris is my guess if it happens. And I’m only counting shots that come up short not that go long.
Will John Wall appear out of nowhere to block Bradley Beal and continue the random Wizards fighting?
Yes: 3/1
No: 2/1
“It was a great ‘team’ event,” he said afterward.
Does Devin Booker or a Suns teammate start a fight with another contestant over something they said at some point this season?
Yes: 10/1
No: 3/1
There is a 75 percent chance Klay Thompson said something to Draymond Green to get him to shut up that made Alex Len really mad and this is the Suns chance to get revenge.
Will Wayne Ellington shoot in a Miami Vice City Edition jersey?
Yes: 2/1
I’m not even making odds for no because there better not be any other option.
Verizon Slam Dunk Contest
Who helps Larry Nance Jr. during a duo dunk?
A former Lakers teammate: 3/1
A new Cavaliers teammate: 12/1
A former University of Wyoming teammate: 15/1
His dad: 2/1
His dad appearing in some way feels certain, in all honesty. The best result would be Nance jumping over Isaiah Thomas while Isaiah is busy giving a press conference ripping Kevin Love.
Does Victor Oladipo sing?
Yes: 4/1
No: 6/1
He will sing Break Free by Ariana Grande and stare at Russell Westbrook the entire time.
Does Russell Westbrook get blamed if Victor Oladipo misses a dunk?
Yes: 3/1
No: 25/1
It will come after the performance of Break Free. It will be Russ’s fault. It will be amazing.
Will Draymond Green try and block Dennis Smith Jr during a dunk?
Yes: 8/1
No: 10/1
Will you start watching Vince Carter’s dunk contest highlights on Youtube during this contest?
Yes: 2/1
No: 100/1
I wouldn’t blame you if you did to be honest. Just typing this made me watch them all over again.
NBA All-Star Game
Will Stephen Curry lay down while someone on Team LeBron dunks?
Yes: 2/1
No: 17/1
I bet it is when LeBron has a shot to dunk.
Will Russell Westbrook dunk on Kevin Durant?
Yes: 2/1
Will LeBron James demand to come off the floor whenever Kyrie Irving plays?
Yes: 30/1
No: 8/1
LeBron drafting Kyrie was a pretty great troll move but doing it and then refusing to play with Kyrie would be the ULTIMATE in petty revenge moves. Which means LeBron has already thought about it and put his plan into motion.
Does Tom Thibodeau get mad Jimmy Butler isn’t playing enough?
Yes: 5/1
No: 80/1
This was too easy.
Which team plays the biggest lineup?
Team LeBron: 5/1
Team Curry: 4/1
Team Curry has the most fun giant lineup (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green, Joel Embiid, Al Horford, Karl-Anthony Towns vs. LeBron, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond) but Team LeBron’s makes more sense. We don’t exactly know how this format will change rotations but it would feel like a giant missed opportunity if we don’t get one of these lineups.
Next: The Encyclopedia of Modern Moves
Does the game breakdown into a Joel Embiid vs. Andre Drummond one-on-one game at any point?
Yes: 21/1
No: 10/1
What a gigantic wasted opportunity it would be if this didn’t happen after the multiple back-and-forth trash talking exchanges this year.