WNBA All-Star betting: Three-Point Contest, MVP, and more

Caitlin Clark's groin injury will prevent her from appearing in any events during All-Star Weekend. While her absence eliminates some of the appeal, especially with the event in Indiana, the show must go on without the league's star.

ESPN BET and theScore Bet have odds for the Three-Point Contest, All-Star Game, MVP, and many other markets. Let's dive into them before Friday night's festivities.

Three-Point Contest odds

🏀 Check out the odds on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here

Sabrina Ionescu (+140)

Is it lame to take the favorite at a short price? Maybe, but Sabrina Ionescu is by far the best shooter among the group. Clark was originally favored to win in her home arena before she pulled out due to injury.

While Allisha Gray won last year and will attempt to defend her title, Ionescu won the year before. Ionescu isn't shooting particularly well from three this season (31%) while Gray leads the league in 3-point percentage (38%). However, shooting wide-open threes off a rack is completely different from in-game shots.

Ionescu proved she can compete with anyone in a shooting contest when she nearly defeated Steph Curry in a Three-Point Contest during the NBA's All-Star Weekend two years ago. She'll reclaim her throne as the WNBA's best shooter Friday night.

All-Star Game MVP

🏀 Check out the odds on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here

Napheesa Collier is the favorite to win the regular season MVP. It's reasonable for oddsmakers to assign her the shortest odds to win the All-Star Game MVP as the league's best player. Sabrina Ionescu, A'ja Wilson, and Kelsey Plum are all having incredible seasons and are worthy candidates. But let's look down the board for a longer shot.

Kelsey Mitchell (+1500)

Kelsey Mitchell's consistent and impressive season has been completely overshadowed by playing alongside Clark. However, Mitchell is leading the Fever in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game.

She typically plays off the ball as Clark assumes the ball-handling duties, but her teammates will create plenty of looks for her in an All-Star setting. She's also more than capable of creating looks for herself, which she's proven during Clark's absences.

Mitchell isn't a household name, but Fever fans are familiar with her. She'll have the backing of the home crowd and the motivation to put on a show in Indiana.

Team Collier (-5.5) vs. Team Clark (O/U 256.5)

When Clark was supposed to play, her team was only a 2.5-point underdog for Saturday night's showdown. That line moved three points after she announced she'll be cheering from the sidelines rather than chucking long-range threes.

Team Clark still has plenty of talent without her, including Wilson, Ionescu, Mitchell, and Jackie Young. While it'll be hard to stop Collier, Plum, and Breanna Stewart, anything can happen in an All-Star Game setting where the competitive drive is diminished. It's worth betting on the underdogs.

Four rule changes to the game should promote more scoring. The WNBA is implementing a 4-point shot from designated spots, and the shot clock will be 20 seconds.

The league is also allowing hockey-style substitutions during live play, and there will be no free throw attempts until the final two minutes, meaning fouls that typically result in free throws will be rewarded with points. The WNBA clearly wants a high-scoring affair, so why not trust that these rule changes will lead to that? Take over 256.5 points.

Sam Oshtry is a sports writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.

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