Sean Barnard previews Wednesday’s WNBA matchup between the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks and provides his best pick.
There are six games of WNBA action tipping off across today’s Wednesday slate. Starting at 10:10 p.m. ET, the Minnesota Lynx will take on the Los Angeles Sparks. This is the first matchup between these two teams, as the WNBA season hits full gear.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Lynx enter as 9.5-point favorites and hold -425 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sparks hold +330 odds of pulling off the upset, with the game total set at O/U 177.5 points.
Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Lynx at Sparks matchup.
The Minnesota Lynx have climbed to the top of the WNBA standings with an 11-3 start to the year. Their three losses have come against the Atlanta Dream, the Chicago Sky and the Las Vegas Aces. Minnesota is coming off a win over the Portland Fire in its previous game, but it had an eight-game winning streak snapped by the Aces before this. Overall, the Lynx are 12-2 against the spread, and the game total is 8-6 to the over/under.
Napheesa Collier remains sidelined as she recovers from her offseason ankle surgeries. Emma Cechova and Dorka Juhasz will also miss tonight. Second overall pick Olivia Miles has stepped up as of late, leading the team with 18.1 points, 5.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. Natasha Howard adds 17.8 points and 7.4 rebounds, while Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride pitch in a combined 31.1 points per game. Nia Coffey and Maya Caldwell also play key roles.
The Lynx lead the WNBA in scoring at 92.6 points per game. Minnesota also ranks first in offensive rating, first in field-goal percentage and first in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 79.4 points per game against the Lynx, which is the second-best rate in the league. They also rank first in defensive rating, first in opponent field-goal percentage and third in opponent three-point percentage.
The Los Angeles Sparks are off to a 7-7 start to the season and have already had some notable ups and downs this season. They are coming off a frustrating 78-58 loss to the Golden State Valkyries, which snapped a three-game winning streak for the Sparks. Los Angeles has gone 5-9 against the spread, and the game total is 9-5 to the over/under.
Kelsey Plum headlines the production for the Sparks, posting averages of 25.0 points, 6.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. However, Plum is considered questionable for tonight due to a lower leg issue and she has battled injuries all season. Nneka Ogwumike adds 15.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while Dearica Hamby contributes 13.9 points and 8.0 rebounds. Rae Burrell is the lone other player to average in double figures, while Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler also play key roles. Cameron Brink will miss tonight’s matchup due to an ankle injury.
The Sparks are scoring 88.1 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league. Los Angeles also ranks ninth in offensive rating, fourth in field-goal percentage and 11th in three-point percentage. Defensively, the Sparks are conceding 90.4 points per matchup, which is the second-worst rate in the league. They also rank 13th in defensive rating, 13th in opponent field-goal percentage and fourth in opponent three-point percentage.
It has been a bit of a surprising start to the season for each of these teams. The Sparks have struggled out of the gates a bit more than expected, and the roster has not fit together the way it was hoped on paper. Injuries have been a factor, with Kelsey Plum headlining this discussion, but they have not put forth the quality of performances that have been expected to this point.
In contrast, the Lynx have looked like one of the clear best teams in the WNBA, even while playing without five-time All-Star Napheesa Collier. Olivia Miles has made the transition to the WNBA look seamless, and Minnesota has been dominant on both sides of the ball. It is coming off its most lopsided win of the season, beating the Portland Fire 107-74 in the previous matchup. While the 100-97 loss to the Las Vegas Aces snapped the Lynx’s eight-game winning streak, Minnesota has covered the spread in nine of its past 10 games.
This has also been a matchup that Minnesota has dominated in recent seasons. While the two have not faced off yet this year, the Lynx have won four straight games against the Sparks and nine of their past 10 head-to-head matchups.
Expect these trends to continue, and for the Sparks to have no answer for slowing down the Lynx’s offense tonight. Minnesota has not been held below 79 points all season and has scored 100+ in four matchups. It leads the WNBA in field-goal and three-point efficiency, and it pulls in the most rebounds per game in the league. In contrast, the Sparks rank 13th in opponent field-goal percentage, 10th in rebounds allowed and 13th in defensive rating. Los Angeles has given up 102+ points in four games this year, and it only eclipsed this total on offense once.
The Lynx are the better team on both sides of the ball, and expect this to be put on full display tonight. With the Sparks not appearing capable of slowing down a caliber of offense that Minnesota possesses, nor holding the caliber of scoring required to match it, expect this one to get away. The Lynx have made a clear case why they are one of the WNBA’s best teams, and this is another chance to prove this against an inferior opponent. Playing on the road has not mattered to this point, with the Lynx going 5-1 in away games thus far, and don’t be shocked if this matchup gets out of control early.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。