NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 odds, picks: Top NBA expert locks in Rising Stars predictions

Potential future NBA All-Stars will take part in the 2026 Rising Stars on Friday in a four-team mini-tournament. Rookies, such as Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, sophomores, like Stephon Castle and Alex Sarr, as well as G Leaguers will take part in one of the early events of All-Star Weekend. The semifinals of the Rising Stars 2026 will see squads play to a target score of 40 points, with the winning teams then advancing to the final, which is played to 25 points. The three teams of NBA players are coached by Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, with the G Leaguers coached by Austin Rivers.

The Rising Stars 2026 will begin at 9 p.m. ET from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Team Melo, who won't have star Cooper Flagg (foot), is still the +160 favorite per the latest NBA odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, followed by Team T-Mac (+180), Team Vince (+230) and Team Austin (+900). Team Melo is the 4.5-point favorite in the first game against Team Austin, while Team T-Mac is -2.5 in the latest Rising Stars odds against Team Vince. 

Before making any 2026 NBA Rising Stars picks, you'll want to see what elite NBA expert Mike Barner has to say.

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 40-17 run on NBA picks (+1934). He's coming off a dominant 2024-25 NBA season, finishing 239-178-2, which returned $2,014 to $100 bettors. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now he has analyzed the 2026 Rising Stars from all angles and is delivering his picks for SportsLine. We can tell you Barner is fading Team Vince, as it has the least accomplished roster of players amongst the three squads featuring NBA players. Instead, Barner sees value elsewhere.

However, he's identified a critical x-factor he says makes one team a must-back! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any picks of your own.

So who wins the 2026 NBA Rising Stars Challenge, and what critical x-factor do you need to know about? ... Join SportsLine right now to get Friday's 2026 NBA Rising Stars pick, all from the SportsLine expert who enters the break ona 40-17 roll on NBA picks!