Sean Barnard breaks down his favorite WNBA player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday night’s five-game slate.
There are five games of WNBA action across tonight’s Wednesday slate. Starting at 7:10 p.m. ET, the Phoenix Mercury will take on the New York Liberty. The Toronto Tempo will challenge the Chicago Sky an hour later, and the Atlanta Dream will face the Minnesota Lynx at 9:10 p.m. ET. The slate will close down with a double-header in the late window, with the Washington Mystics facing the Seattle Storm while the Connecticut Sun take on the Portland Fire.
With plenty of action on the table, there are plenty of ways to get involved with DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my top player props for tonight’s WNBA slate.
After missing the first five games of the season due to a foot injury she suffered in preseason, Sabrina Ionescu made her return in a loss to the Dallas Wings. Ionescu then missed the next start, landing on the injury report due to a back injury. The four-time All-Star has been upgraded to questionable ahead of tonight’s game as the Liberty face the Phoenix Mercury. New York is off to an underwhelming 3-4 start to the season, with Ionescu’s lack of availability related to this. Facing the Mercury tonight, expect some progress to be made for one of the expected best teams in the league.
Ionescu did not exactly hit the ground running when she was on the floor, as she shot 4-for-15 from the field against the Wings. She finished with 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds across 31 minutes of play. The former WNBA champion shot 2-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc.
The Mercury enter the matchup with a 2-5 record and some significant defensive concerns. They are allowing 87.0 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league. Phoenix also ranks ninth in defensive rating, 11th in opponent three-point attempts allowed, and dead last in opponent three-point efficiency.
Ionescu is a career 35.1% three-point shooter on 7.2 perimeter shots per game. She has shot as well as 44.8% from beyond the arc over a season, and there is a clear need for her skillset in this Liberty offense. Facing a struggling defense and with New York already playing with an urgency to get back on track, count on a clear effort to create perimeter looks for Ionescu. Knocking down three three-pointers in a game is a comfortable bar for a shooter of her caliber to clear.
The Chicago Sky made some major changes this offseason, with the addition of Skylar Diggins as one of their most impactful moves. The 35-year-old is a seven-time All-Star, a six-time All-WNBA team member, and a former Most Improved winner. Diggins provides a level of competence at the guard spot that was necessary for the Sky to improve their offensive outlook, and Chicago has put plenty of responsibility on the veteran’s shoulders.
Across her first five games in Chicago, Diggins is averaging 12.8 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. She tallied seven assists in the first two games of the season, but has been held to three, four, and six in the three games since. The Sky will be facing off with the Toronto Tempo tonight, who enter with a 3-4 record in their inaugural season. Toronto ranks 12th in opponent points per game and 14th in defensive rating to start the year.
The Sky enter as the second-largest favorite across today’s WNBA slate, so expect this to be a get-right spot for Chicago after coming off back-to-back losses. Count on Diggins to capitalize on the inexperience of this Tempo team and effectively run the offense. Diggins was an All-Star as recently as last year and is content taking a backseat as a scorer to fill more of a true point guard role. Count on her returning to the level of production she showed in the first two games and tally at least seven assists tonight.
The Portland Fire are off to a 4-3 start to their first season, with Carla Leite emerging as the team’s star. The 22-year-old is tied for a team-leading 15.6 points per game through her opening five games played. Excluding the game in which she was limited to 13:57 of action against the Fever, Leite has scored 16+ points in three of the four games.
The former Valkyries standout has taken a notable leap forward in her efficiency. After shooting 38.7% from the field as a rookie, Leite is connecting on 47.2% of her field goal attempts this season. This is a great spot for her to continue adding to her strong start as the Fire face off with the Sun tonight.
Connecticut enters this matchup with a 1-7 record to start the year. The Sun rank 14th in opponents’ points allowed and 13th in defensive rating. The Fire are coming off a statement win over the Liberty in which Leite finished with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field. She has attempted 11+ FGA in each game she has played 22+ minutes. Facing a vulnerable defense and playing the best basketball of her young WNBA career, expect this to carry over tonight. Count on Leite to continue benefitting from the freedom in the Portland offense and record 16+ points for the fourth time this season against this vulnerable defense.
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