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NBA 2K Players Tournament: Finally, something to bet

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Bettors are learning how to be creative.

With most sports around the world on hiatus, recreational gamblers have resorted to marble races, lottery drawings, and simulated games. We don't have much choice.

Bettors will have a fresh fix Friday when the NBA 2K Players Tournament begins. Some of the NBA's best ballers will swap a basketball for a video game controller, with lines open to the public. The athletes will match up based on individual game rating seeding, from 1-16.

Oh, you didn't think we were capping them? You thought wrong!

Odds

No. 1 Kevin Durant vs. No. 16 Derrick Jones Jr. (+4)

Durant rating: 96
Jones Jr. rating: 78

This isn't a dunk contest, Jones doesn't stand a chance. The No. 1 seed's probably had some extra reps - Durant hasn't played in a game with the Nets all season - and we'll be celebrating him winning a title by himself once it's all said and done.

Pick: Durant -4

No. 2 Trae Young vs. No. 15 Harrison Barnes (+3.5)

Young rating: 90
Barnes rating: 78

Can we get some totals? I don't think there'll be a single shot taken from inside the 3-point line. Young will fall into an early hole but come back to win it late, with Barnes securing the narrow cover.

Pick: Barnes +3.5

No. 3 Hassan Whiteside vs. No. 14 Patrick Beverley (+3)

Whiteside rating: 87
Beverley rating: 78

Whiteside "flipped out" over an NBA 2K opponent quitting a game in 2016. I don't think we need anything else to factor into this one.

Pick: Whiteside -3

No. 4 Donovan Mitchell vs. No. 13 Rui Hachimura (+1.5)

Mitchell rating: 87
Hachimura rating: 79

I've answered trigonometry questions easier than this. This is like an 8-9 matchup during March Madness - flip a coin. Apparently, Mitchell beat the 2K digital marketing director once. Now, that is a trend I can get behind.

Pick: Mitchell -1.5

No. 5 Devin Booker vs. No. 12 Michael Porter Jr. (+2.5)

Booker rating: 86
Porter Jr. rating: 81

The betting public will flock to the 'dog in the 5-12 matchup, but my models actually have Booker to beat Porter by an average of 4.71 points per game. It's the same model that predicted Leicester City's championship parlayed with the UMBC moneyline over Virginia.

Pick: Booker -2.5

No. 6 Andre Drummond vs. No. 11 DeMarcus Cousins (+1.5)

Drummond rating: 85
Cousins rating: 81

We talk about the motivational angle a lot when handicapping a matchup, and Cousins should have plenty after the aforementioned digital marketing director called him a "dick" on a livestream. I don't even really need the points in this spot.

Pick: Cousins +1.5, sprinkle ML

No. 7 Zach LaVine vs. No. 10 DeAndre Ayton (-3)

LaVine rating: 85
Ayton rating: 85

Wait, Ayton is the No. 10 seed but laying three points? It's clear that Vegas obviously knows something we don't.

Pick: Ayton -3, Ayton alternate line -10 (+300)

No. 8 Montrezl Harrell vs. No. 9 Domantas Sabonis (pk)

Harrell rating: 85
Sabonis rating: 85

Thankfully, this will be played via video game because it would possibly be the worst one-on-one you could possibly imagine happening in real life. Checking back on the model, the line feels right (Harrell is a projected 0.6-point favorite), so we'll take the slight edge on the Clippers forward.

Pick: Harrell

Note: Do not trust the betting model. It is a 2K players tournament.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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