NBA All-Star: Experts’ picks for Saturday night and Team LeBron vs. Team Durant

NBA All-Star Weekend is underway, as Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge and celebrity game kicked off the festivities in Cleveland.

But which stars will take home the hardware during All-Star Saturday?

The night begins with a revamped skills challenge, as three teams of three — Team Cavs, Team Antetokounmpo and Team Rooks — face off. Then, four All-Stars — Zach LaVine, Karl-Anthony Towns, Fred VanVleet and Trae Young — headline an eight-player field for the 3-point contest. The night wraps up with a four-player dunk contest, as electrifying rookie Jalen Green and 2021 runner-up Obi Toppin take the stage.

On Sunday, will Team LeBron capture another All-Star Game win? LeBron James has hit all four of his previous All-Star captains’ drafts — will he make it five? Either way, with Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland on LeBron’s roster, the two should have plenty of fun putting on a show for the fans inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Our NBA experts are picking the winners for Saturday and Sunday’s action, including which player will take home the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award.

All-Star Saturday: Skills, 3-point and dunk contests

Jamal Collier

• Skills: Team Cavs

• 3s: Trae Young

• Dunks: Jalen Green

Nick DePaula

Nick Friedell

Israel Gutierrez

• Skills: Team Cavs

• 3s: Karl-Anthony Towns

• Dunks: Jalen Green

Andrew Lopez

Tim MacMahon

Bobby Marks

Dave McMenamin

• Skills: Team Rooks

• 3s: Zach LaVine

• Dunks: Obi Toppin

Kevin Pelton

• Skills: Team Cavs

• 3s: Patty Mills

• Dunks: Obi Toppin

Jorge Sedano

• Skills: Team Rooks

• 3s: Trae Young

• Dunks: Jalen Green

Ramona Shelburne

André Snellings

• Skills: Team Rooks

• 3s: Karl-Anthony Towns

• Dunks: Jalen Green

Marc J. Spears

• Skills: Team Rooks

• 3s: Patty Mills

• Dunks: Jalen Green

Ohm Youngmisuk

Results:

• Skills contest: Team Antetokounmpo 5, Team Cavs 4, Team Rooks 5.

• 3-point contest: Patty Mills 3, Trae Young 3, Karl Anthony-Towns 2, Zach LaVine 2, Luke Kennard 2, Desmond Bane 1, Fred VanVleet 1.

• Dunk contest: Jalen Green 11, Obi Toppin 2, Cole Anthony 1.

NBA All-Star Game picks: Winner and MVP

Jamal Collier

• Team LeBron

• MVP: LeBron James

Nick DePaula

Nick Friedell

Israel Gutierrez

Andrew Lopez

• Team LeBron

• MVP: Darius Garland

Tim MacMahon

• Team LeBron

• MVP: LeBron James

Bobby Marks

Dave McMenamin

Kevin Pelton

• Team LeBron

• MVP: LeBron James

Jorge Sedano

Ramona Shelburne

• Team LeBron

• MVP: DeMar DeRozan

André Snellings

• Team LeBron

• MVP: LeBron James

Marc J. Spears

• Team LeBron

• MVP: LeBron James

Ohm Youngmisuk

Results:

• Winner: Team LeBron 12, Team Durant 2.

• All-Star Game MVP: LeBron James 5, Giannis Antetokounmpo 4, DeMar DeRozan 2, Devin Booker 1, Luka Doncic 1, Darius Garland 1.