2025 NBA All-Star Saturday Night Best Bets: Take Everybody But McClung
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Jason Lake
- February 13, 2025
Top NBA Pick: Matas Buzelis (+600) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Mac McClung may be the league’s best, but the NBA odds for Saturday’s remaining Slam Dunk contestants are too good to pass up.
You can find the best value on these underdogs at top-rated sportsbooks offering competitive odds for the contest.
2025 NBA All-Star Weekend: Slam Dunk Contest
Saturday, February 15, 2025 – 08:00 PM ET at Chase Center
| Player | Price | Offered by |
|---|---|---|
| Mac McClung | -210 | |
| Andre Jackson Jr. | +600 | |
| Matas Buzelis | +600 | |
| Stephon Castle | +600 |
Fade the Favorite?
The only constant is change. We’re still stinging here at the home office from the events of Super Bowl Sunday; our ears may never recover from the Halftime Show, where Kendrick Lamar kept beating Drake’s dead horse instead of sharing the requisite TV time with his colleagues, Baby Keem in particular.
Now we’ve got the 2025 NBA All-Star festivities to deal with. How do we navigate this brave new world?
By throwing out the incumbent. It’s the way things work now – if you’re on top, everyone wants you gone. That includes Mac McClung, the two-time and defending Slam Dunk Contest champion.
As you can see above, we’re recommending all three of McClung’s competitors at the same +600 price on the NBA odds board at BetOnline, meaning you double your money if any of them wins.
What’s Wrong With Mac McClung?
He’s had it too good for too long. Just like Kansas City at Super Bowl LIX, people are getting tired of McClung (-210) and his act, even if he remains arguably the best exhibition dunker on the planet.
That’s the assumption at least. Unlike Kansas City, we haven’t been subject to daily coverage of McClung’s exploits; not only does he not have a global pop icon for a girlfriend, McClung barely shows up on television at all. That’s because he’s a G-Leaguer, playing almost exclusively for the Osceola Magic on a two-way contract with Orlando.
Not everyone is pleased, either. The Slam Dunk Contest was in enough disarray two years ago that the NBA changed the rules to allow McClung (then with the Delaware Blue Coats) to participate – and he crushed it, scoring a perfect 50 on every dunk except the second, where celebrity judge Lisa Leslie gave him a 49.
One year later, people were already wondering aloud if McClung should be let back in. Toronto Raptors analyst Jack Armstrong was (and remains) among those who think that spot should go to a regular NBA player.
The judges seemed less enamored of McClung as well, although he still won the 2024 contest with his lone 50 coming on his final dunk.
What About the Others?
Buzelis might be the best dark horse of the three underdogs this Saturday. “I’m not going there to lose,” the 6-foot-10 rookie from the Chicago Bulls told NBC reporter K.C. Johnson on the way to San Fran. Buzelis has thrown down some lovely dunks in limited action this year, including one at Summer League that had everyone’s tongues wagging.
Castle might get some extra points from the judges just for being the best NBA prospect from this foursome – and for leading the Connecticut Huskies to the NCAA title last year.
The No. 4 overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs has gotten plenty of burn playing alongside Victor Wembanyama; at 6-foot-6, Castle is one of the taller point guards in the league, and he attacks the rim with the kind of ferocity that judges tend to reward.
Jackson is also a 6-foot-6 title-winner from UConn, although he’s a shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks and a fringe prospect coming out of the second round in 2023.
That hasn’t stopped Jackson from carving out a bench role as a super-pest. He’s also got hops for days – and interesting hair, which might steal a point or two in this artistic endeavor.
The Picks
There’s no point spending hours poring over YouTube videos looking for an angle here when you can just bet all three non-McClung players at the same time and double your money.
We’ve seen more than one highway robbery take place at the Slam Dunk Contest over the years; if McClung out-dunks them all and someone else still wins the trophy, hey, that’s the zeitgeist for you. Bet accordingly.
NBA Pick: Andre Jackson Jr. (+600) at BetOnline
NBA Pick: Stephon Castle (+600 at BetOnline
NBA Pick: Matas Buzelis (+600) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
