NBA Tips for Monday, February 16th 2026

All-Star Weekend comes to a close with the All-Star Game being held on Monday 16th of February.

We see a new format – a round-robin played across quarters, featuring two American teams, the Stars and Stripes, and then Team World featuring the likes of Wemby and Jokic.

But at the end of the day, we have to find which team will treat this with the slightest level of competitiveness – something we’ve lacked for close to a decade now.

All-Star Game Predictions

NBA All-Star Game Winner

USA Stars @ $3

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This is uncharted territory with the new USA vs. World round-robin format, so there’s no historical playbook to lean on. But when you break down the three rosters, USA Stars shape up as the best-balanced team in the tournament.

Start with the youth factor. USA Stars average just 24.8 years old – this is the group with the most to prove and the least reason to coast. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey are both wired to compete, and Devin Booker has never treated All-Star Weekend lightly. That competitive edge matters in a format with $125,000 on the line for the winning team and shortened 12-minute games where effort swings outcomes quickly.

They’ve also got something the other two teams lack: genuine size alongside their guards. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren give them two legitimate bigs who can run the floor, while Jalen Johnson adds a 6’9″ do-it-all forward averaging a near triple-double this season.

Compare that to USA Stripes, where the oldest roster in the event – LeBron, KD, Kawhi, Brunson – is guard and wing-heavy with no real interior presence, plus they’ve lost Curry to injury and replaced him with Brandon Ingram.

And Team World, despite the star power of Jokic and Wembanyama on paper, are missing both Giannis and SGA to injury, and Doncic is battling through fitness concerns of his own. We’ve seen Jokic and Luka treat exhibition games as optional – neither has a history of going full throttle when nothing’s on the line.

USA Stars open the tournament against Team World in Game 1, and that scheduling draw works in their favour. If they come out with energy against a potentially disinterested World side, they can build early momentum and carry it through to the final.

NBA All-Star Game MVP

Anthony Edwards @ $15

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It was a coin-flip between Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey for top scorer on USA Stars, but the price on Edwards made the decision easy.

If there’s one player in this entire tournament who’s going to treat a 12-minute exhibition game like a playoff quarter, it’s Ant. He’s averaging 29.4 points this season and has never been the type to take a possession off – All-Star Weekend or otherwise.

In a format that rewards burst scoring and aggression, Edwards is built to dominate. He’ll get on the rim, he’ll shoot pull-up threes in transition, and unlike most of the field, he’ll actually defend. If USA Stars advance to the final, expect him on the floor for the full 12 minutes with the ball in his hands as often as possible.

The fact he’s sitting as low as ninth in the MVP betting is genuinely surprising. This is a player who cares about winning in every setting he’s put in – from the Olympics to regular season games in January.

While half the All-Star field is treating this as a weekend off, Edwards will be looking to put on a show. At this price, he represents one of the best value plays across the entire All-Star Weekend slate.

Sports Writer

Dale Crotty

With more than a decade of experience, few know the NBA like Dale, who has spent years backing winners for punters across a number of publications and podcasts.

He also specialises in tennis and AFL. More of Dale's tips can be found at Betseeker.com.au.