All-Star Saturday odds: Can Steph Curry defend his 3-point title?

This weekend’s All-Star Saturday events in Toronto offer the usual mix of exciting young players, big names, and time-tested formats. This year, we’re handicapping all three events — the Taco Bells Skills Challenge, the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and the Verizon Slam Dunk — so you know who to watch closest. Read on for a look at the favorite, the contenders, and the dark horses.

Favorite

Stephen Curry: Tell me, at this point, what isn’t Stephen Curry the favorite for?

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The defending Three-Point Contest champ and likely two-time NBA MVP is on pace to break his own record for 3-pointers in a season in the 58th game of this campaign. He’s now doing a year’s worth of work – mind you, a record-breaking year’s worth of work – in 71 percent of the time.

Curry makes five 3-pointers a game, he shoots 45 percent from behind the line, and he clearly has the footwork and quickness down enough to make it around the racks with alacrity. He topped all shooters last season in the Contest with 27 points in the second round, including 13 straight makes. If he loses, something will have gone terribly wrong. Like, “Chris Bosh was allowed to come out to try and block his shots”-level wrong.

Bovada line: -110

The Curio

Chris Bosh: They took his precious half-court jumper away, so now the stretch four is set to step in a good 22 feet and see what he can do from behind the arc.

Bosh isn’t the first big man to take part in the tournament, but he would be the first sometimes-center to win it. Dirk Nowitzki, at about an inch taller than Bosh, won it in 2006, but he rarely plays the position. Same goes for Kevin Love, an inch shorter, who won in 2012.

Chris can shoot, he’s right around the league average from long range, but it’s possible that his lanky frame sees him bowing out in the same style that Sam Perkins did all the way back in 1997.

Bovada line: +4000

The Buck

Khris Middleton: This isn’t just a play on the word on the Milwaukee swingman’s jersey. Middleton likely thinks he has a legitimate gripe in not being asked to replace fellow two-way swingman Jimmy Butler in the All-Star Game, with Butler knocked out of the contest due to a knee strain. Middleton (who has shot over 40 percent from long range from the last three seasons) was passed over in favor of Pau Gasol, and he could use this setting to introduce himself to those fans who don’t get NBA TV.

Bovada line: +1800

The Runner-Up

James Harden: The Houston Rockets guard finished second behind Curry in 2015 MVP voting, and had legitimate claim to the award. That isn’t the case this season; Harden was outplayed twice in two contests with Curry this season, and he’s shooting 35 percent to Curry’s 45 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

We’d say that this is the reason that we need a one-on-one tournament at All-Star weekend, but have you seen James play defense this year?

Bovada line: +1500

The Pro

J.J. Redick: Redick has come into his own, and the rest of the league seems to be appreciating the all-around gifts that have been obvious since his first few star-crossed years in the NBA. The Clipper guard can still rake (47 percent, better than Steph), and he’s of the perfect build and quickness to work his way around the racks without letting fatigue set in too much.

As a 6-foot-4 dude who can run while hitting nearly half his treys, Redick would be the favorite in any other year, but there is the little matter of the MVP in the field that doesn’t mind splashing from 28 feet.

Bovada line: +500

(Speaking of splash …)

Baby-Faced Bro

Klay Thompson: (Both Curry and his fellow Splash Brother Klay are still dotting their faces with those goatees, but let’s, um, face it – they’re going to be B.J. Armstrong-types all their lives.)

Thompson shoots 42 percent from long range and lost in the final round to Curry in 2015, and like Redick, he pairs the perfect blend of both touch and athleticism. Klay has never shown any aversion to being outshined by his more famous teammate, but it might be time for Curry’s taller counterpart to take his starring turn.

Bovada line: +450

The Future

Devin Booker: It was obvious even during his one year at Kentucky that this was the NBA’s next great shooter. Booker started his first season with the Phoenix Suns stuck to the pine, but when he did get to play brief stretches, his percentages from deep were on point. With Eric Bledsoe’s injury and increased minutes, the lengthy shooter has taken off. Even with the NBA well aware of his skill set, the rookie is shooting 40 percent on the season.

The real question is his legs. Maybe in a couple of years the 19-year-old will have the stamina to compete in the (admittedly odd) competition that asks you to run around shooting off of racks of basketballs from 24 feet away while a clock dwindles down. The potential next Dale Ellis may need to take his licks for one year before jumping to the front of the pack.

Bovada line: +850

The Tank

Kyle Lowry: If you’re just checking into the NBA’s season now, the hometown team’s point guard isn’t just the pugnacious penetrator you remember. He’s slimmed down and is shooting a career-high 39 percent from behind the arc. Furthermore, and this isn’t to dismiss the competitive qualities of the players listed above, Lowry remains one of the league’s more frightening talents when challenged. He’s as good a pick as any to prevent some endorsement-hogging Western Conference star from winning a title on his rims.

Bovada line: +1000

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops