2019 NBA All-Star Saturday odds, picks: Skills Challenge predictions from dialed-in expert

A cast of rising young superstars highlights the 2019 NBA Skills Challenge as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend takes place Feb. 15-17 in Charlotte, N.C. The Skills Challenge is set for 8 p.m. ET Saturday. Dynamic rookies Luka Doncic and Trae Young (+325, bet $100 to win $325) are near the top of the betting board, while Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox (+250) remains the odds-on favorite in the latest 2019 NBA Skills Challenge odds. Other participants include Memphis point guard Mike Conley (+550), Nuggets star Nikola Jokic (+600), Boston’s Jayson Tatum (+600), Kyle Kuzma (+700) of the Lakers and Nikola Vucevic (+900) of the Magic. Before you lock in your 2019 Skills Challenge picks, check out the predictions from NBA expert Mike Barner.

Barner is a respected NBA Fantasy expert, both season-long and DFS, whose work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo, RotoWire and KFFL. He has also been featured on ESPN Radio. He digs deep into the data, examining team trends and projecting game outcomes, while watching as many games as possible to gain an edge.

With his unmatched analysis and 24-7 dedication, Barner spots opportunities against the spread as well as on totals. Barner’s expertise has been on full display lately — he has hit on 29 of his past 41 NBA picks, a massive 71 percent win rate that has brought in nearly $1,600 to $100 players in a short amount of time. That payout doesn’t include the 6-1 parlay he nailed by hitting all three of his best bets for SportsLine members on Monday.  

Now, he has zeroed in on the NBA All-Star Weekend and Saturday’s Skills Challenge. He’s revealing his pick for the event over at SportsLine. 

The NBA has hailed this lineup as the most star-studded field the Skills Challenge has ever seen. The competition involves a basketball-skills obstacle course of sorts that includes ball handling, precision passing and shooting. Many observers have a natural inclination to lean toward favoring speedy point guards, but Barner is aware that a comprehensive skill set is essential to winning the contest.

A true point guard hasn’t won since 6-foot-1 Patrick Beverly took the crown in 2015. That’s part of why Barner is fading Fox this year. Big men Karl-Anthony Towns (7-0) and Kristaps Porzingis (7-3) followed with victories, and 6-6 combo guard Spencer Dinwiddie came out on top last year. Front-court players with shooting touch have proven to be viable contenders, and Vucevic leads the field at 38.6 percent from 3-point range. He’s also averaging a career-best 3.8 assists per game. 

Barner has scoured the lineup of participants and uncovered a key intangible that he believes will be the x-factor for one contestant to emerge as the 2019 NBA Skills Challenge champion.

Who wins the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge? And what is the x-factor that puts him over the top? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike Barner’s pick for the NBA Skills Challenge, all from the NBA expert hitting on an astonishing 71 percent of his NBA picks, and find out.