Tag: team lebron

Team LeBron is somehow favored over Team Giannis before the NBA All-Star teams have even been decided

Trying to predict an All-Star game is one thing. Trying to do it before the teams are decided is just wild.

For the first time since the NBA changed the format of the NBA All-Star Game to allow the voting leader of each conference to select their teams, the All-Star draft will be held directly before the game.

It’s going to make for fascinating television to see each team captain, this year LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, pick teammates right there on the spot like a schoolyard basketball game involving superstar athletes.

It’s also going to make it hard for bettors to gain an edge, not knowing how the teams stack up until right before tip-off. Unsurprisingly that didn’t stop sportsbooks from placing early odds on the game.

Team LeBron (-125) is favored over Team Giannis (+105) at BetMGM and other sportsbooks, which sounds surprising on the surface. Most people will tell you Antetokounmpo is the better player in 2023, having more recent team and individual success. Plus, James is battling a foot injury. Judging off captains alone, you would think Team Giannis should have an edge. On the contrary, DraftKings and FanDuel have them as a two-point underdog.

It begs the question how exactly they’re determining who should be favored and by how many. The answer might just be rooted in how well James has drafted. In five straight years as a captain, Team LeBron is undefeated at the All-Star Game, including wins against Team Giannis in 2019 and 2020, and wins with Antetokounmpo as a teammate the past two years against teams captained by Kevin Durant.

It’s silly to think any past success in an exhibition where players go half-speed 90% of the time will translate in the future. So this is still a coin toss if you ask me. But based on past success, it makes sense that Team LeBron is favored.

[mm-video type=video id=01gsatnc817cs182nyqv playlist_id=none player_id=01gp1x90emjt3n6txc image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gsatnc817cs182nyqv/01gsatnc817cs182nyqv-7cc5e01098ccd7bb609ee4390c0ac79b.jpg]

Team LeBron player grades: LeBron James hits the game-winning shot in 2022 All-Star game

See how Team LeBron graded after defeating Team Durant in a thrilling All-Star game.

A fitting end to the 2022 NBA All-Star game in Cleveland. LeBron James drilled the game-winning shot to help Team LeBron defeat Team Durant, 163-160.

Of course, defense was optional all throughout the game. The first three quarters were played for fun moments and vying to win for money to go to charity, but the stakes increased in the fourth quarter.

Both teams picked up the intensity, with Joel Embiid trying to attack the paint for Team Durant and Stephen Curry trying to break the record for most points scored in one All-Star game.

In the end, James and Team LeBron are now 5-0 since the league switched to the captain format.

Here is how Team LeBron graded individually from the win:

Team LeBron will need injury replacement for James Harden at All-Star game

A new player will need to join Team LeBron since James Harden (hamstring) will not be able to play.

Newly acquired Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden will not be able to play in the 2022 NBA All-Star game with a left hamstring injury, so Team LeBron will need a replacement.

Harden was the last pick in the draft because LeBron James intentionally tried to get Kevin Durant, Harden’s former teammate, to pick him the day the blockbuster trade went down.

But with Harden out, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will pick an injury replacement, which he’s done twice already with LaMelo Ball and Dejounte Murray becoming first-time All-Stars.

Possible names from the Eastern Conference that would make sense: Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors or Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.

[mm-video type=video id=01ftvka5c5zpwfh576d6 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ftvka5c5zpwfh576d6/01ftvka5c5zpwfh576d6-e5f621327a9b3d268212b2220091914b.jpg]

[listicle id=79085]

Team Durant vs Team LeBron: Betting odds, point spread on BETMGM for Mar.7

Team Durant takes on Team LeBron tonight so here are your betting odds and point spread to prepare for the game.

Team Durant plays Team LeBron on Sunday, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, moneyline odds and over-under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet on BetMGM.

The game tips off at 8 PM ET and can be seen on TNT.

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

  • Point spread: Team LeBron -4
  • Money line: Team LeBron -175 / Team Durant +145
  • Over-under: 317.5

Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.

Advice and prediction

Team Durant will be playing without their captain, who happens to be their best player despite this being a star-studded matchup. On paper, Team LeBron has the advantage considering the talent LeBron James picked up for his squad going into this game but anything can happen knowing that Team Durant is also full of the NBA’s best talent.

Team LeBron has the better starting lineup; however, it’s the bench of Team Durant that is better than Team LeBron. This game can go both ways and it’s definitely going to be close towards the end when things heat up. This is a hard one but expect Team LeBron to still come out on top.

Prediction: Team LeBron 161 – Team Durant 154

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire. Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

2021 NBA All-Star Game: Lineups, broadcast info for Sunday

Team Durant takes on Team LeBron in the 70th annual NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta.

In the 70th annual NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Team Durant takes the court to face Team LeBron in Atlanta.

Unfortunately, several players who were selected as All-Stars won’t be playing due to injury. Those players are: Kevin Durant (hamstring), Anthony Davis (achilles tendonosis) and Devin Booker (knee), Joel Embiid (health and safety protocol) and Ben Simmons (health and safety protocol). Devin Booker was supposed to be Anthony Davis’ All-Star replacement but now that spot has been given to Mike Conley. Domantas Sabonis, on the other hand, replaces Kevin Durant for the game due to his injury.

Here’s when you can tune into the All-Star Game.

  • Date: Sunday, Mar.7
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: TNT

Probable starting lineups

Team Durant

  • Kyrie Irving
  • Bradley Beal
  • Kawhi Leonard
  • Jayson Tatum
  • Zion Williamson

Team LeBron

  • Stephen Curry
  • Luka Doncic
  • LeBron James
  • Giannis Antetokounpo
  • Nikola Jokic

NBA All-Star Game: Prediction, point spread, odds, over-under

Team LeBron will face off against Team Durant in Sunday night’s All-Star Game, which will be without Philadelphia’s two stars.

The 70th NBA All-Star Game will take place tonight in Atlanta and the coronavirus pandemic has already made sure it is one unlike any other we’ve seen before. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have both been ruled out of tonight’s game due to contact tracing. But still, the game is going to happen and our friends at BetMGM are taking your bets. We’re giving you all the information we can from them so you can make your best wagers possible on tonight’s exhibition with the league’s biggest stars.

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

  • Point spread: Team LeBron -4.5
  • Moneyline: Team LeBron -175 / Team Durant +150
  • Over-under: 315.5

Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.

Advice and prediction

When you look at the names, scoring, shooting, and passing, Team LeBron is going to be incredibly difficult to beat. LeBron James, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounpmo in the starting lineup followed by Damian Lillard off the bench?

But the thing about the All-Star games that is easy to forget is how amazing the other team is too. Kevin Durant isn’t playing for Team Durant, which is a major loss for them. Still, they have James Harden and he’s been maybe the best player in the league over the past month.

We also have to consider the other aspect of the All-Star Game that makes it different from any other NBA betting situation: the Elam Ending. After the third quarter, they will add 24 points, in honor of Kobe Bryant, to the leading team’s score to determine the target score.

By introducing a pick-up game element where you play to a score, you will see a lot more tough defense in the 4th quarter. That’s what we saw last season and it makes me believe even if one of the teams gets out to a 20 or even 30-point lead, the different ending will result in a competitive game.

But Joel Embiid showed last season during the ASG that he wasn’t afraid to take big shots and while Harden and Irving are great in that spot, but not having Durant on both ends, in addition to not having Embiid during such a high-level game, is going to be too much to handle.

If all things were equal as far as the stars, I would take the points and lean on Team Durant. But something tells me Team LeBron is going to want to hit the target score and get on the first flight out of Atlanta. Also, take the under.

Prediction: Team LeBron 150, Team Durant 135

 

 

 

Chris Paul posts touching Kobe tribute after All-Star Game victory

Paul shared a clip from a Kobe Bryant interview in which the late Lakers star discussed changes he wanted to see in future All-Star Games.

Chris Paul admitted that at times, the All-Star Game was tough.

Not because the best in the league were competing like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but because they were playing, in part, in memory of Kobe Bryant.

The league made sure to honor the late Lakers great throughout the weekend. They renamed the MVP award to the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Trophy, both Team Giannis and Team LeBron wore No. 24 and No. 2 jerseys for Kobe and his daughter Gianna, Magic Johnson delivered a eulogy and Jennifer Hudson sang. To name a few.

But it was Paul that pointed out that the best way that the NBA honored the legacy of Kobe is the way both teams competed in the All-Star Game.

And on Monday, Paul posted a touching tribute to Bryant, linking a video from a portion of an interview that Kobe gave on the Knuckleheads podcast back in September 2019.

You ALWAYS pushed us to be more competitive!!! I’m grateful to be in a position to make players voices heard and honor you as a fierce competitor. We’re ALL fans of the game after all!!! #MambaMentality

On the podcast, Bryant talked about improvements he had wanted to see in future All-Star Games and how he and Paul had discussed their ideas for possible changes.

“The All Star Game in general needs a little revamping, because it used to be competitive. Fans want to see the best pick-up game in the world…Me and CP used to talk all the time—I don’t think me and CP ever lost a game. And we used to look at each other and say OK, ‘Let’s go. 4th quarter, let’s go get em.”

The NBA announced changes to the All-Star Game format on Jan. 30, four days after Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Among those changes was the new Elam ending that was suggested by Paul over the summer.

Paul said Sunday night that he was constantly checking with players throughout the game to see how they liked the format, with LeBron James telling USA Today that it was “extremely fun and a great way to end the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend”.

Love and Miss you Bean!! Was the first time I’ve played in the All-Star game without you. But one thing WE ALWAYS did was COMPETE!!! Hope we didn’t let you down!! #MambaMentality #Mambacita #ASW2020

In his 10th All-Star Game, Paul made a case for winning the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP, scoring a career-best 23 points to go along with six assists as Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis 157-155.

All-Star Weekend ‘special’ for Chris Paul

In his first appearance in the All-Star Game since 2016, Chris Paul scored a career-best 23 points helping Team LeBron to a 157-155 victory.

“It was fun.”

That’s what Chris Paul said as he sat at the podium after Team Lebron’s 157-155 win over Team Giannis in Sunday night’s All-Star Game.

Paul scored a career-best 23 points to go along with six assists, making a solid argument for his second All-Star Game MVP, although the honor of the inaugural Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP ended up going to Kawhi Leonard.

Paul proved that he was still every bit the All-Star caliber player that fans had gotten accustomed to seeing during his nine-year run in which he was selected to every game from 2008 through 2016.

View this post on Instagram

THROW IT DOWN CP! 🤯

A post shared by Oklahoma City Thunder (@okcthunder) on

The three-year hiatus in between All-Star Games was part of what made this year’s more meaningful.

“The weekend was special because for me I hadn’t played in the game since 2016,” said Paul. “It was fun, especially to have my family, my kids get a chance to experience this stuff with me.”

As a whole, the All-Star Game was about a lot more than just having fun this year.

The league went to great lengths to honor the late Kobe Bryant, with multiple tributes throughout the weekend, including all the members of Team Giannis wearing Kobe’s No. 24 and all the members of Team LeBron donning his daughter Gianna’s No. 2.

Though they wanted to honor Kobe, Paul admitted that it was difficult at times throughout the weekend.

“It was tough early, especially early,” Paul revealed. “For a lot of us, it’s still surreal. It’s not real until you start showing pictures and talking about it. But I think the best way we could honor Kobe, Gigi, and everyone involved was to play like we played.”

Paul also said that he’d like to see the NBA continue having both teams play for charity in the All-Star Game, another new component of the game that was implemented this year. He said without the fans, there’s no reason for the All-Star Game to exist.

“Sometimes people lose sight of the purpose of All-Star Weekend. It’s really a big “thank you” to the fans and all the people that support us,” Paul said. “We go out there and compete night-in and night-out, but there’s no ‘us’ without the fans.”

The 2021 NBA All-Star Game will be Sunday, Feb. 14 in Indianapolis.

Frank Vogel: Chris Paul a ‘big reason’ for Team Lebron’s win in ASG

Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis 157-155 in Sunday night’s All-Star Game, the first year that the league utilized the Elam Ending.

Chris Paul was in peak form during Sunday night’s All-Star Game.

He was throwing lobs, hitting threes and even shocking social media by throwing down a two-handed slam.

But he was also playing defense (and fouling to stop fast breaks), something that hasn’t always gone hand-in-hand with All-Star Games in the past.

On Sunday, Team LeBron beat Team Giannis 157-155 in a thrilling finish (even if it did end on free throws), thanks in part of the new Elam Ending that was instituted by the NBA this year, a change that was suggested by Paul.

Team LeBron entered the fourth quarter trailing by nine, meaning they had some ground to make up to get to the target number of 157 first.

Frank Vogel, who coached Team LeBron, told SB Nation that Paul was a big part of the comeback.

“He told me early in the day that he wasn’t one of those vets that just likes to take a rest in a game like this, that he wants to come in and win a game and help our guys win a game. All the young guys throughout the course of the game, every time they made a mistake or didn’t play defense, he was yelling at them. So he got us — not only got us to the finish line but also provided great leadership and some big plays in that fourth quarter down the stretch.”

Paul scored a career-best 23 points in his 10th All-Star appearance, making a compelling case for the inaugural Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP award, which ultimately went to Kawhi Leonard.

According to SB Nation, Paul ended Sunday with a “game-high offensive rating of 192.5”. To go along with his 23 points, Paul also dished out six assists, “just 15 below Magic Johnson for the all-time All-Star Game lead”.

It was Paul’s first All-Star Game since the 2015-16 season. He said during media day Saturday that being selected to the All-Star game is “always something special” and something he “never takes for granted”.

WATCH: Chris Paul out here dunking in the All-Star Game at 34

Paul put down a two-handed dunk off an alley-oop pass from Russell Westbrook during the second quarter of Sunday’s All-Star Game.

 

Who knew that Chris Paul could still throw it down?

Apparently not a lot of people.

Social media went insane on Sunday night when Paul showed he could still get up at age 34, throwing down an alley-oop off a pass from Russell Westbrook and finishing with a two-hand jam.

Honestly, with how high he got up, Paul looked like he could’ve competed in Saturday night’s dunk contest.

The play came with 7:37 left in the second quarter and Team LeBron trailing Team Giannis 12-10. He even got a little extra hang time on the rim.

The dunk was met by a standing ovation from his teammates on the bench.

The fact that Paul could still dunk was shocking to a lot of the media members that regularly cover the NBA.

Although Tim MacMahon sighted Basketball Reference saying the dunk as Paul’s first since the 2015-16 season when he was with the Clippers, Twitter users were fast to point out that Paul threw down a dunk in game four against the Utah Jazz last year.

Paul has thrown some beautiful lobs of his own during Sunday’s game, including one in the first quarter to Ben Simmons who finished with a monster slam.