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

ESPN.com staff

Feb 19, 2022, 01:00 PM

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

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.

NBA All-Star Game picks: Winner and MVP