NBA All-Star weekend concludes with the Western Conference taking on the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star Game. After a six-year span of the format being changed to two teams led by players, the conferences will duke it out again for the first time since 2017.

The best NBA betting sites all favor the West by a couple of points. I think you can confidently bet on the Western Conference moneyline in this matchup while covering the -2.5 point spread. The moneyline odds for the West covering are BetMGM at -115.

2024 NBA All-Star Game Odds on BetMGM

2024 NBA All-Star Game Prediction: Analysis

(Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET, TNT/ESPN)

With all due respect to the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference has an immense advantage based on pure talent. That’s not to say the East doesn’t have talented players, but the Western Conference lineup is as good as any lineup I’ve ever seen.

Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the best players on each team. While you can argue Doncic or Gilgeous-Alexander are better on the West, there’s nobody else on the East you can try and compare to be better than Antetokounmpo.

Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton are the two other players in the East who can be seen as complete players. After that, there is some sort of flaw in the games of everyone else such as Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey, and Scottie Barnes.

In the West, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are still playing as good as ever. Stephen Curry remains one of the truly elite guards despite him getting up there in age. Anthony Davis, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard have all been sensational thanks to good health.

The likes of Young, Maxey, Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes, and even Donovan Mitchell (Still only 27 years old) are going to be All-Stars for years to come. But the West has a massive experience advantage that has a lot of players who have more chemistry playing together through previous All-Star or international games.

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2024 NBA All-Star Game Prediction: Pick

The reason the NBA shifted the All-Star format in 2018 was due to the West winning six of the previous seven All-Star games. One of those wins even came in a blowout 26 point win. Durant, James, Curry, and Leonard, were on some of those teams.

This game figures to have little defense being played, which is customary in All-Star games. The lowest point total scored in an All-Star game since 2014 is 145, with the highest scores being 196 and 192 by the then Western Conference team.

The lack of Embiid will loom large in this game too, as he and Jokic would’ve been a fascinating battle to watch. Instead, Bam Adebayo will likely start at center unless the East deploys a small ball lineup with Antetokounmpo playing as a big.

The West is loaded with more scorers who can take you one on one. In a game with little defense to speak of, that will prove to be the key difference maker.

2024 NBA All-Star Game Rosters

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