The Los Angeles Sparks (6-23) look to climb out of last place, as they travel south for a Western Conference matchup with the Dallas Wings (6-22) this Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on NBA TV. One of the best parts about sports betting is that we can still find entertainment in a WNBA game between two injury-riddled, six-win teams.
Will either of these squads turn things around in the final few weeks of the regular season? Let's find out in my Sparks vs Wings prediction for Sunday.
Sparks vs Wings Prediction
Sparks vs Wings Pick: Wings -6 (-110)
My Sparks-Wings pick is on Dallas to cover the spread (-6), which can be found at DraftKings according to our live WNBA odds page.
Sparks vs Wings Odds
| Sparks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 171.5 -110 / -110 | +235 |
| Wings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 171.5 -110 / -110 | -300 |
Unsurprisingly, this game opened at a 2.5-point line in favor of Dallas, but quickly ballooned to Wings -6, and now sits at -6.5. Meanwhile, the total has also risen, as it was originally listed at 166.5 and has since climbed to 171.5.
Sparks vs Wings Preview, Betting Analysis
Los Angeles has dropped eight of its past nine games, with their only win in that stretch, ironically, coming against Dallas.
The Sparks’ bad luck began when Azura Stevens injured her arm; she missed close to two months of the season with that injury. Then, things turned from bad to worse when Cameron Brinks tore her ACL in mid-June.
It has all been downhill from there. This team ranks 11th in net rating, 11th in turnover percentage, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 11th in opponent points in the paint, and 11th in opponent field goal percentage.
In fact, the only thing that Los Angeles has done at an average level throughout this season is rebound the ball.
This has been a torturous season for the Wings, a team that has been plagued by injuries after a successful 22-18 campaign last year.
The Wings have been without reigning WNBA first-teamer and Most Improved Award-winner, Satou Sabally, for nearly the entire season; she just returned on August 16 and has played in three games thus far.
Sabally has shown very little rust, despite missing a substantial amount of time. In fact, she has averaged 18 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 44.2% shooting from the field in her first three games back.
Sabally’s presence eases the pressure off four-time WNBA All-Star guard, Arike Ogunbowale, who has had to shoulder the Wings’ entire offense.
My Sparks vs Wings Prediction
Sparks vs Wings Best Bet
While Los Angeles did secure a six-point win when these two teams last met, there were outliers and injuries involved. For one, Ogunwale put up an all-time stinker in that bout, shooting 2-for-15 from the floor. Ogunbowale has not been an uber-efficient player this season, but she has been an All-Star in the WNBA for four consecutive years. That kind of a shooting performance won’t happen again.
She will also be going against a defense that ranks 10th in defensive rating and 11th in opponent field goal percentage. Sure, the Wings’ defense is even worse, but they shouldn’t have too much trouble against a team that, outside of Dearica Hambry, has virtually no offensive attack.
Another major difference between last game and this one is that Sabally will be available. Sabally finished fifth in MVP voting just one year ago, but had missed all of this season until coming back post-Olympic break.
Ultimately, this Dallas offense should run the Sparks out of the gym.
Sparks vs Wings Pick: Wings -6 | Play to -7
