Like everything else in the sports world lately, NBA All-Star Weekend is going to look a lot different this time around. In fact, it really isn’t even a weekend at all.

In normal times, the Rising Stars Challenge takes centre stage Friday night with the skills, three-point and dunk contests on Saturday and the All-Star Game itself Sunday night. But these are far from normal times and the NBA is compensating by stacking the events on top of one another, beginning Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET, minus the Rising Stars Challenge, which didn’t make the cut this year. 

The skills and three-point competitions will go first, with a modified three-player dunk contest taking place at halftime of the game. Here is a look at the odds for each player involved in what used to be NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

 

Dunk Contest

Obi Toppin +100
Anfernee Simons +150
Cassius Stanley +225

The New York Knicks’ rookie comes in as the even-money favourite to take home the 2021 Slam Dunk Contest title and bring the trophy back to the World’s Most Famous Arena for the first time since Nate Robinson in 2011.

Listed at 6-foot-9, Toppin is a whole foot taller than Robinson and will be looking to break a trend in the dunk contest that hasn’t exactly favoured big men. The last winner at 6-foot-9 or taller was Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz in 2012, while the past six winners see most of their minutes at the shooting guard or small forward positions.

Toppin has struggled to earn consistent playing time in Tom Thibodeau’s air-tight rotation with the Knicks this season, averaging 4.7 points in 12.7 minutes a night. But he has had his fair share of rim-rockers, including this one-hander against the Houston Rockets.

The second-best odds belong to Portland’s Anfernee Simons, who isn’t known primarily as a dunker. Selected in the late first round of the 2018 draft out of high school, Simons has carved out a nice role as a three-point specialist in the Trail Blazers’ high-octane offence, which sits second in both three-point makes and attempts.

The 21-year-old grew up just north of Orlando and told The Oregonian this week that Orlando Magic dunkers like Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard and Aaron Gordon made an impression on his growing up.

Rounding out the field is Indiana Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley, who comes in with the least NBA experience in a field of neophytes. A second-round pick out of Duke, Stanley has played a total of 23 minutes over eight games this season, so he hasn’t had a lot of chances to show off his hops. He is also the first player signed to a two-way contract to participate in the dunk contest as he’s spent much of the 2020-21 season with the G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Stanley had a 44-inch vertical at the NBA Draft combine and was picked to win by both Candace Parker and Shaquille O’Neal during a TNT broadcast earlier this week. Stanley’s NBA career is in its infant stages, but Sunday could be the perfect opportunity for him to introduce himself to the league.

 

Three-point contest

Steph Curry +200
Zach LaVine +250
Donovan Mitchell +300
Devin Booker +400
Jaylen Brown +600
Jayson Tatum +700

The three-point contest makes up for what the dunk contest lacks in terms of star power. All six participants average at least 24 points per game and will be playing in the All-Star Game itself for the first time ever.

In addition to the two-point moneyball, there will be two green balls situated six feet beyond the three-point line worth three points apiece. Shooters will have 70 seconds to get up as many of the 27 balls as they can.

Leading the field at +200 is 2015 champion Steph Curry, who is playing some of the best basketball of his career after a lost 2019-20 season. Curry leads the league with 169 threes made entering play Thursday – 31 above Damian Lillard in second at 138 – and is also first in attempts at 411. This will be his seventh three-point shootout appearance, tying him with Dale Ellis for second all-time behind Craig Hodges with eight.

Second at +250 is Zach LaVine, who is having a career season for the Chicago Bulls. LaVine is putting up 28.7 points per game on a career-high 43.5 per cent clip from deep, the highest mark of any player in the field. 

Donovan Mitchell is next at +300. While he does sit 10th in threes made at 113, Mitchell has more misses than anyone in the NBA (396) and is shooting just over 30 per cent in his last 11 games. Both LaVine and Mitchell are former dunk contest champions and have an opportunity to become the first player ever to win both events.

Rounding things out are 2018 champion Devin Booker (+400) and Boston Celtics teammates Jaylen Brown (+600) and Jayson Tatum (+700).

 

Skills competition

Chris Paul +175
Luka Doncic +200
Domantas Sabonis +350
Robert Covington +450
Nikola Vucevic +600
Julius Randle +1000

Despite being widely considered as one of the most skilled point guards in NBA history, Chris Paul has not won a skills challenge in four appearances. The +175 favourite in this year’s contest, Paul is bringing new life to a Phoenix Suns team sitting second in the Western Conference at 23-11.

Right behind him is Luka Doncic at +200. Doncic is nearly averaging a triple-double this season and has taken a big step forward with his outside shooting. If Paul or Doncic were to win, they would be the first champion from the West since 2016 as Kristaps Porzingis, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo have the East on a four-year run.

 

Regardless of conference, it will be a first-time winner in 2021 with no past champions in the field. Robert Covington (+450) is the lone participant not playing in the All-Star Game later Sunday.

The lowest odds belong to forward Julius Randle, the leader of a surprising Knicks team having their best season in ages. Randle has made huge strides in his three-point shot and playmaking while leading the NBA in minutes played at 1,316.

Randle, Domantas Sabonis (+350) and Nikola Vucevic (+600) are looking to make it the third year in a row a player 6-foot-8 or taller has taken home the skills challenge.