NBA All-Star Weekend will kick things off with the Castrol Rising Stars event on Friday night. Tipoff for the first matchup is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET on Peacock.
The Rising Stars Tournament will begin NBA All-Star Weekend with 21 top rookies and sophomores drafted into three teams by NBA legends, with a fourth team made up of G-League prospects.
Let's get into my NBA Rising Stars predictions and picks for All-Star Weekend 2026.
NBA Rising Stars Odds for All-Star Friday
Rising Stars Tournament Odds
- Team T-Mac +180
- Team Vince +230
- Team Melo +230
- Team Austin +850
Rising Stars Matchup Odds
Team Austin vs Team Melo
- Spread: Team Melo -4.5, Team Austin +4.5
- Total: Over/Under 71.5
- Moneyline: Team Melo -270, Team Austin +220
Team T-Mac vs Team Vince
- Spread: Team T-Mac -2.5, Team Vince +2.5
- Total: Over/Under 74.5
- Moneyline: Team T-Mac -162, Team Vince +136
Odds via DraftKings
NBA Rising Stars Predictions, Picks
While the G-League roster does have some household names such as Ron Harper Jr., Yang Hansen and Mac McClung, I’m immediately striking a line through this team led by Austin Rivers.
As for the remaining three teams comprised of NBA players, Team Melo stands out the most with names like Stephon Castle (16.5 PPG), Reed Sheppard (12.7 PPG), Ace Bailey (11.6 PPG), and Dylan Harper (10.9 PPG).
One thing I always look for in these Rising Stars events is rosters with players from the same NBA team.
At times when you are putting together a team of seven or eight players, having a little familiarity could go a long way to winning the competition.
Castle and Harper will certainly offer that familiarity as teammates on the San Antonio Spurs.
Given that these games are a bit different in that the winner must reach a target score (40 in the first round and 25 in the final), I’d prefer to target a team that’s loaded in the backcourt because the guards are more likely to dominate the ball.
Although Team T-Mac features probably the best player in Kon Knueppel (18.9 PPG), I think the backcourt duo of Castle and Harper can do enough to deny him receiving the ball.
It’s worth noting that against the Spurs in January, Knueppel shot just 1-for-4 (25%) from distance and finished with 13 points.
After shopping around, DraftKings is offering the best price for Team Melo, with odds listed at +230.
NBA Rising Stars Betting Prediction
- Team Melo to Win Tournament +230
NBA Rising Stars Start Time, How to Watch, Location
- Date: Friday, February 13
- Start Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
- TV/Streaming: Peacock
