Props to Giannis for His All Star Action

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, which can mean only one thing: NBA All-Star Weekend is here (unless it means something else for you, like a birthday or something).

With a weekend full of action you can be sure the sports books are cooking up plenty of prop bets and your favorite Milwaukee Bucks All-Star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has made his way onto a pair of them. I am here to tell you why and why not to bet on the second-time All-Star for each prop bet.

Why to bet on Giannis to Win MVP

Perhaps just as interesting as which team wins the game is which player wins the game’s MVP award. SportsBettingDime.com has Russell Westbrook as the favorite at 4/1 odds followed by Antetokounmpo with 6/1. Giannis made a heck of a case for MVP at last year’s contest in New Orleans, leading the East with 30 points. Antetokounmpo eventually lost to host Anthony Davis who scored an All-Star Game record 52 points in the Western Conference’s victory.

Davis is not the first player with a connection to the host city to win All-Star Game MVP. Neither the Lakers nor the Clippers are sending a player to represent Los Angeles, this year’s host city, and that could work in Giannis’ favor. Westbrook is from the Los Angeles area and attended/played for UCLA before entering the NBA, however, after the inaugural All-Star Player Draft he and Giannis are on opposing teams. Playing for the winning team will further your chances at winning MVP than representing the host city will, so Team Stephen winning the game would be hugely beneficial in getting this one to pay out.

For this bet, a teammate of Giannis I would watch out would be Damian Lillard, getting 40/1 odds. Lillard already has two All-Star appearances but didn’t really put on a show in either those appearances. However, after being left out of the All-Star Game the last two seasons don’t be surprised to see Dame really tries to fill it up this Sunday night.

I still really like Giannis here and think he will, at the very least, make a strong case for this year’s All-Star Game MVP Award that so narrowly escaped him last season.

To bet on Giannis to Have the Most Dunks

Once again, Antetokounmpo is seen as the second favorite in this wager with 7/2 odds, behind favorite Davis at 5/2. We’ve all seen Giannis play, how he seemingly effortlessly gets to the rim time and time again. And that is against serious NBA defenses. The All-Star Game allows players to showcase their skills (Steph is gonna shoot threes, Al Horford is gonna set screens, and Joel Embiid is going to troll) so there should be plenty of opportunities for Giannis to show off.

While Davis, Westbrook (5/1) and everyone else getting odds in this prop are no doubt great dunkers, evidence suggests Giannis isn’t too bad himself. If you like Giannis in the first bet, then you got to like him here too. I mean, he’s not going to win MVP without a few sweet jams. That is why I would bet on the Greek Freak to slam it home most often in this year’s All-Star Game.

Why to not bet on Giannis

The one big reason I wouldn’t recommend betting on Giannis (or any of the weekend’s events):

It’s the friggin’ NBA All-Star Game, LITERALLY ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!