The 2026 All-Star Game will have a different look than usual this year, as this year's event will be a round robin between three teams featuring four 12-minute games in order to crown our champion for the weekend.
Let's get into our NBA All-Star Round Robin predictions and picks for Sunday, February 15.
NBA All-Star Game Predictions, Picks
- Team Stripes Moneyline (-125)
- Cade Cunningham Over 3.5 Assists (+100)
- Team USA Stripes vs Team World Under 81.5 (-110)
Team USA Stripes vs Team USA Stars Moneyline Pick
Team Stripes Moneyline (-125)
After facing the Team World in the first game of the round robin format, Team USA Stars will then take on Team USA Stripes in the second game.
While the round-robin portion features one 12-minute period, the adrenaline and excitement are enough to tire even the savviest players.
Moreover, with so many talented players assembled together, the difference between winning and losing can be marginal at best.
Therefore, even the slightest edge of any fatigue can be enough to determine an outcome.
The Stars vs. Stripes matchup features a nice contrast between young All-Stars and veterans, and I have a sneaky suspicion that the motivation might lie with the OGs who won’t want to be embarrassed by their younger counterparts.
Last year, we saw Shaq’s OGs dominate Chuck’s Global Stars 41-25 in the final game, and this year’s Stripes team offers a similar continuity with Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown all returning.
If anything, a bit of experience and pride could be just what the Stripes need to pull out a win in Game 2.
Pick: Team Stripes Moneyline (-125)
Team USA Stars vs Team World Player Prop: Cade Cunningham
Cade Cunningham Over 3.5 Assists
By Alex Hinton
Cade Cunningham enters his second All-Star appearance ranked second in the league in assists at 9.6 per game. He averages three assists in the first quarter while playing 9.2 minutes per game.
With 12-minute quarters per game in this year's format, Cunningham may not get nine minutes, but he still has a path to getting four assists.
On the young Team USA Stars squad, Cunningham has a current teammate in Jalen Duren and a high school teammate (Montverde Academy) in Scottie Barnes.
Cunningham campaigned to get Duren in the All-Star game even more than he did for himself, so he will certainly be looking to set him up.
With these two, Cunningham will have instant chemistry.
In addition, Team USA Stars has a trio of prolific scorers in Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Maxey, as well as one of the league's most athletic finishers in Jalen Johnson.
In a format that tends to lend to not much defense, particularly in the early going, I like Cunningham for four assists at plus-odds here.
Pick: Cade Cunningham 4+ Assists (+120)
Team USA Stripes vs Team World Over/Under Prediction
Under 81.5
By Matt Moore
That’s right, an under in an All-Star Game!
Shorter format means less time to get into a rhythm.
Team World is going to play glacially slow with Joker and Luka. It’s all bigs and forwards.
Team Stripes is a bunch of older guys who are going to isolate and take mid-range jumpers instead of threes.
One time only, one under bet in an All-Star Game.
Pick: Team USA Stripes vs Team World Under 81.5 (-110)
NBA All-Star Game Start Time, How to Watch, Location
- Date: Sunday, February 15
- Start Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
- TV/Streaming: NBC
NBA All-Star Sunday Schedule
- Game 1: World vs. USA Stars, (5:00 p.m. ET)
- Game 2: Winner of Game 1 vs. USA Stripes (5:55 p.m. ET)
- Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. USA Stripes (6:25 p.m. ET)
- Game 4: All-Star Championship (7:10 p.m. ET) *top two teams from round-robin play*
If all three teams finish 1-1 after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team’s two games.
