For the fifth straight year, it will be Team World taking on Team USA during the All-Star Weekend. This is the Rising Stars Challenge game, featuring the league’s top rookies and sophomores; TNT will have the coverage from Charlotte, North Carolina this Friday at 9 PM ET.
As the honorary coaches, Dirk Nowitzki (World) and Kyrie Irving (USA) will helm their respective teams – 10 players per side, selected by a panel of NBA assistant coaches. Team World is up 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS in this series, and they’re once again the better team on paper, featuring Ben Simmons (Australia) of the Philadelphia 76ers, Luka Doncic (Slovenia) of the Dallas Mavericks, and Lauri Markkanen (Finland) of the Chicago Bulls.
Unfortunately for Team USA, Los Angeles Lakers PG Lonzo Ball is injured and unable to play Friday. He’s been replaced by New York Knicks SF Kevin Knox. Lakers PF Kyle Kuzma will be in Charlotte, alongside Utah Jazz SG Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics SF Jayson Tatum, and Sacramento Kings PG De’Aaron Fox. These are typically high-scoring games with little emphasis on defense, but with totals climbing into the low 300s, the Under is 3-1 heading into this year’s contest.
