The NBA All-Star Game, in the past, was untouchable chaos from a gambling perspective. Players never took it seriously. Scoring went through the roof ... unless the shots didn't fall. There were no coherent plays or rotations or any of the factors that typically bind an NBA game. 

That may well still be the case after the NBA changed the format of this year's game, but the league at least tried to introduce some semblance of order into the festivities. The death of Kobe Bryant and the attempts to honor him that the league and players will surely make should help as well. While the All-Star Game should never be bet with the same certainty as, say, a playoff game, the unique circumstances surrounding this year's event creates a unique opportunity to profit off of a game that used to be one of the ultimately stay-aways of the gambling world. Below are a few tips to take advantage of the newly structured All-Star Game. 

For a complete guide to the new All-Star Game format, click here. 

Bet the under

All-Star Games are notoriously high scoring. Last year, the two teams combined for a staggering 374 points, and while this year won't exactly be a defensive struggle, the new format is just one of many reasons to bet the under. 

For the first time, the All-Star Game now has a scoring cap. No matter what the score is at the end of the three quarters, the 24-point target score means that total scoring in the fourth cannot exceed 47 points in total. Every quarter in last year's All-Star game featured at least 79 points. Vegas will certainly factor the new "Elam Ending" into its line, but it isn't just going to lop 32 points off of it. 

There are a number of smaller factors in favor of a lower-scoring game as well. We are almost certain to lose 32 seconds of playing time at the beginning of the game to 24- and eight-second violations in Bryant's honor. That might not seem like much, but it represents over one percent of a 48-minute game. If we treat scoring as equal across a game, 32 seconds in a game that featured 374 points last season is worth roughly four points off of the total. 

Not having Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson will cut down on 3-point shooting. The charity element of the game will hopefully lead to better defense. Honoring Bryant means playing competitively, as he would have, so this shouldn't be quite the shooting that we're used to in All-Star Games. 

Live-bet the end of quarters

Remember, the new format essentially treats each quarter as its own game. If managed optimally, that is going to mean strategic timeouts and substitutions as the clocks wind down. Use the first quarter as a barometer of this potential change. If the teams involved take it seriously and truly do treat each quarter as its own game, then you can take advantage of that as a live bettor in the second and third quarters. More stoppages would likely lead to fewer transition opportunities and therefore points, for instance, but this is something that would need to be felt out in the moment. 

Don't overthink MVP

Let's be honest, voters don't treat All-Star MVP with the same gravitas as its regular season or NBA Finals counterparts. If there's a good story, odds are, that story is going to win out. Bryant himself is a perfect example of this. He once shared MVP honors with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. 

So let's think about this rationally. The story of this game will be based around Bryant, and if someone shows off the Mamba Mentality, that will get them in the running. The Elam Ending practically insists that someone does. Without a timed fourth quarter, someone, by rule, has to make a game-winning shot. Whoever that player is will get a major boost in MVP voting. 

So think logically about who will be on the floor as the game ends. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are captains, so they are locks. Frank Vogel is coaching LeBron's team, so Anthony Davis will be in the game as well. Kawhi Leonard should be an obvious choice. If you feel strongly that one of them will take over the game late and hit the game-winner, then that's your MVP bet.