Sports Betting - Monday 21 February 2011 by

Prop Betting NBA 2011 All Star Game Predictions

The last of the 2010 American “Big Four” All Star Games is set for tip-off from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, February 20, 2011. Like the recent NFL Pro Bowl and the NHL All Star Game, the NBA All Star edition should be a game that is void of defense with an abundance of high flying offense.

Prop Betting NBA 2011 All Star Game Predictions

Prop Betting NBA 2011 All Star Game Predictions: The stars will be shining a little brighter than usual this weekend in Los Angeles as the best of the best invade the Staples Center for the 2011 NBA All Star Game. Tip-off for this “Harlem Globetrotters” style scoring festival is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET on Sunday, February 20, 2011 on TNT.

You can add some extra spice and excitement to watching the NBA All Star Weekend festivities by wagering on the various prop bets available in the Bodog.com sportsbook. The action on the hard court will be fast and furious and so will the betting action!

Player To Score First in the 2011 NBA All Star Game

With ten of the best basketball players on the planet taking to the floor of the Staple Center to tip-off the 2011 NBA All Star Game, this prop betting option comes with some excellent value. Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic is the favorite on this prop bet as he is currently siting at 5/1 odds to be the first player to score. Lebron James from the Miami Heat sits as the second favorite at 11/2 odds to drain the first points in the 2011 NBA All Star Game.

Kobe Bryant from the hometown Lakers, Carmelo Anthony currently with Denver, Dwayne Wade from the Heat and Amare Stoudemire from the New York Knicks all sit at 13/2 odds to round out the top three favorites.

Over the last five years, the first points have come from a point guard twice (Dwayne Wade ’08, ’09) with a forward scoring first in the other three games, Dirk Nowitzki ’10, Kevin Garnett ’07 and Lebron James in ’06.

Player to score first in the 2011 NBA All Star Game 

First To Score Prediction: In a game that should be dominated by the Eastern squad overall, we like the West to score first with Kobe Bryant firing up the home town faithful with the first points of the game.

2011 NBA All Star Game Most Valuable Player Prop Odds

The MVP of the NBA All Star Game is another prop bet featured at Bodog and, like the First To Score prop, there is some great value in this bet as well. The odds on favorites are LeBron James leading  the Eastern All Stars, while Kobe Bryant leads the Western squad. Both players sit with 13/2 odds to win the 2011 NBA All Star Game MVP Award.

Go back to the greats of the game like Bill Pettit, Oscar Robinson, and Michael Jordan – the only three time winners of NBA All Star Game MVP Award – and you will find that no one has won the MVP Award back-to-back. That means we would take Dwayne Wade out of the mix right off the top.

James and Bryant are both looking to join those three former NBA stars with a three MVP Awards and both could very well pull it off. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Wade are all gunning for their second All Star MVP Award while the rest of the field will be trying to win their first All Star MVP honor.

Odds to win the 2011 NBA All Star Game Most Valuable Player 

Most Valuable Player Award Prediction: We are going to go a little off the board here and call for Dwight “Superman” Howard to  pull down the 2011 MVP All Star Award. We feel the East is going to pummel the West and some fresh blood is just what the doctor ordered for the NBA All Star MVP Award. We can see Superman soaring as the top playmaker in this game and the 9/1 odds deserve a small wager.

For NBA betting fans who believe the Western All Stars will pull out the win, we would suggest backing Kevin Durant from the Thunder on the NBA MVP Award prop betting option.

Free Picks: 2011 NBA All Star Game Predictions

Oddsmakers at top ranked online sportsbook like Bodog.com see this game as a close matchup based on the slim -2 point favorite line the Eastern Conference has been tagged with as we near tip-off. Though the Eastern Conference has owned this series with an overall 36-23 record, it has been much closer since 2000 as the West has won six times and the East five times.

The Eastern NBA All Stars have shone brighter in four of the last six games, including last years 141-139 thriller in Texas. While the East is 2-2 in games played in Los Angeles – the West won the last matchup at the Staples Center by a 136-132 margin back in 2004.

We see the cast of veterans from the East being victorious in this matchup today. In fact they had better win it this year because the All Stars in the West are hungry, maturing quick and catching up. They may not take down the title this year, but the West should dominate over the next few years.

With the East getting solid ball control from the likes of Dwayne Wade from the Heat, Ray Allen from the Celtics, and Derrick Rose of the Bulls, this could be one of the lower scoring NBA All Star Games in recent memory.

Bodog.com gets you into the action with a full list of game and prop  betting options for the exciting 2011 NBA All Star Game.

With Live In-Game Betting, plus a full betting board of game and player prop bets, you are wagering with the leader when you bet with Bodog!

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