Bodog Beat

Chris Paul hopes to thrill the home fans during Sunday’s All-Star Game. (AP Images)

Quick, name the favorite to be named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game?

Kobe Bryant for sure, right? Wrong.

Then it has to be LeBron James, correct? Another brick.

Allen Iverson? Uh-uh.

Carmelo Anthony? Yao Ming? Tim Duncan? Steve Nash?

No, no, no and sit down.

The answer is Chris Paul. The 6-nothing point guard for the New Orleans Hornets holds down MVP odds of 9/2 for Sunday’s showcase game (8 p.m. ET, TNT). That’s better than veterans Bryant and James (both at 5/1) and Iverson (6/1).

Basketball bettors are thinking that Paul will get plenty of playing time in front of the hometown fans in the Big Easy. But Paul is more likely to dish the ball than take it to the hole and since top point scorers usually come away with the hardware, he may not be the wisest play.

Still, the fact that he’s the favorite says a ton about how he’s elevated his game in his third season. The 2006 Rookie of the Year is a bona fide superstar and the main reason the Hornets are in contention for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The NBA All-Star Skills Challenge takes place Saturday night, 24 hours before the Eastern Conference and Western Conference tip off in the All-Star Game itself.

On Friday night, the Rookie vs. Sophomore Challenge Game was won by the second-year stars, 136-109. Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson scored 33 points to lead the victory.

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