2025 NBA Slam Dunk contest odds, picks, predictions, start time: Best bets from expert on 80-52 run

Posted by Admin February 14, 2025 NBA

Mac McClung of the G League’s Osceola Magic goes for a three-peat when he takes part in the 2025 NBA Slam Dunk contest on Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco. No one has ever won three in a row, but McClung is looking to make history. He can also tie Nate Robinson (2006, 2009 and 2010) for most career Slam Dunk championships. Also taking part in the event are Matas Buzelis (Bulls), Stephon Castle (Spurs) and Andre Jackson Jr. (Bucks). The players will perform a series of dunks over two rounds with five judges assigning a score between 40 and 50. The player with the highest combined score is declared the winner. The 2025 Slam Dunk contest will be the third and final event on All-Star Saturday Night, which begins at 8 p.m. ET and also includes the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest.

McClung is the -210 betting favorite (risk $210 to win $100) in the 2025 Slam Dunk contest odds, followed by Buzelis at +500. Jackson Jr. (+700) and Castle (+750) are the two longest shots in the field. Before making any 2025 Slam Dunk contest picks or All-Star weekend predictions, you need to see the picks and best bets from SportsLine’s NBA expert Mike Barner.

Barner is one of the most respected voices in the industry, and his work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo, RotoWire and KFFL. He’s also been featured on ESPN Radio. He digs deep into the data, examining team trends and projecting game outcomes. If there’s anybody who can spot an edge in a matchup or identify a player in position to break out, it’s him.

Barner’s expertise has been on full display lately as he enters the All-Star break on an 80-52 run on NBA prop picks (+1836). Over the past five seasons at SportsLine, Mike has crushed sportsbooks with a 470-406 record, returning $2,329 to $100 bettors on against-the-spread NBA picks. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Now he has analyzed the 2025 Slam Dunk contest from all angles and locked in his picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Barner’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest best bets.

Top 2025 NBA Slam Dunk contest picks and predictions

One shocker: Barner is fading McClung. The 26-year-old is currently in the Orlando Magic organization and has played five minutes of one game with them this season. He played two games with the Philadelphia 76ers last year and averaged 12.5 points. McClung has spent most of the last three seasons in the G League with the Osceola Magic, the South Bay Lakers and Delaware Blue Coats. Prior to earning his dunk contest invitation, he had become a dunking sensation on YouTube, with his high school, college and professional dunks earning millions of views.

Barner doesn’t like that McClung will be facing a difficult process in determining a winner. “Given how flukey that process can be, I can’t pay -210 odds for McClung to win, regardless of how impressive he has been previously,” Barner told SportsLine. Barner prefers another player over McClung. You can see who to back here.