Experts’ picks for Saturday night’s skills competition 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.

Jamal Collier

Skills: Team Cavs

3s: Trae Young

Dunks: Jalen Green

Nick DePaula

Skills: Team Rooks

3s: Patty Mills

Dunks: Jalen Green

Nick Friedell

Skills: Team Antetokounmpo

3s: Fred VanVleet

Dunks: Cole Anthony

Israel Gutierrez

Skills: Team Cavs

3s: Karl-Anthony Towns

Dunks: Jalen Green

Andrew Lopez

Skills: Team Antetokounmpo

3s: Zach LaVine

Dunks: Jalen Green

Tim MacMahon

Skills: Team Antetokounmpo

3s: Desmond Bane

Dunks: Jalen Green

Bobby Marks

Skills: Team Cavs

3s: Luke Kennard

Dunks: Jalen Green

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

Skills: Team Antetokounmpo

3s: Trae Young

Dunks: Jalen Green

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

Skills: Team Antetokounmpo

3s: Luke Kennard

Dunks: Jalen Green

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.

Jamal Collier

Team LeBron

MVP: LeBron James

Nick DePaula

Team LeBron

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Nick Friedell

Team Durant

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Israel Gutierrez

Team LeBron

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Andrew Lopez

Team LeBron

MVP: Darius Garland

Tim MacMahon

Team LeBron

MVP: LeBron James

Bobby Marks

Team Durant

MVP: Devin Booker

Dave McMenamin

Team LeBron

MVP: DeMar DeRozan

Kevin Pelton

Team LeBron

MVP: LeBron James

Jorge Sedano

Team LeBron

MVP: Luka Doncic

Ramona Shelburne

Team LeBron

MVP: DeMar DeRozan

André Snellings

Team LeBron

MVP: LeBron James

Marc J. Spears

Team LeBron

MVP: LeBron James

Ohm Youngmisuk

Team LeBron

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

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.
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