The Seattle Storm visits the nation's capital on Tuesday night with the hope of snapping a two-game losing streak as the Washington Mystics have other plans in store as they welcome the Storm to their home court.Let's preview the matchup and get into my Storm vs. Mystics pick and prediction, which is on a player prop and I also provide a same-game parlay for your betting pleasure.
Storm vs. Mystics Pick and Prediction
A perfect storm could be brewing in Washington as Seattle looks to snap a two-game losing streak. While on the other hand, the Mystics have yet to defeat a .500 team this season, and their cautious approach to Britney Sykes' return from injury creates value on the under for her scoring prop.
Storm vs. Mystics Pick: Brittney Sykes under 12.5 points (-120)
SGP Bonus (+130): SEA ML | Brittney Sykes under 12.5 points
Storm vs. Mystics Odds
| Storm Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-6.5 +6.5 | 162.5 -108/-115 | -300 |
| Mystics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-112 -108 | 162.5 -108/-115 | +240 |
The Storm's recent road trip against teams (Atlanta and Indiana) with sub-.500 records was an excellent opportunity for the Storm to string some wins together and move up in the standings. Instead, it has now dropped to fifth in the league and a half-game behind the Aces.
However, there's no better time to right the ship than a game against the Mystics.
Washington is in a three-way tie for the fewest wins (six), as this injury-riddled season has often deprived the Mystics of establishing much of a rhythm.
Britney Sykes is a player who featured in just five of Washington's 27 games. With the eight-year veteran back on the court after two separate leg injuries, she'll face a difficult test against a Storm team with one of the league's better defensive units.
Seattle Storm: Seize The Opportunity In Making Stops
Seattle's recent loss to the Fever was particularly surprising because of how poorly it defended beyond the arc. Indiana knocked down 15 3-pointers against the Storm, who allow less than seven per game.
Based on those numbers, perimeter defense will almost certainly be part of Seattle's preparation against Washington. After all, it's one of the few things Washington excels at, ranking third with 9.6 3-pointers per game.
The best way to thwart a good 3-point shooting team is to limit their opportunities. Seattle does this exceptionally well, allowing the second-fewest 3-point attempts (20.9) per game.
When the Storm can get a stop, it can punish teams in transition. Seattle's fastbreak points (11.7) put it in a tie for third in the league.
As a result, Seattle should have opportunities to get out and run, given its ability to crash for boards.
Seattle ranks third in rebounding compared to Washington, which sits at the bottom in this category.
This is a matchup where neither team won't mind getting up and down the court. While they both rank in the top half of the league in pace, Washington's offense tends to stagnate in the half-court when opponents take away its perimeter shooting.
Washington Mystics: Control The Pace And Limit Turnovers
Given their struggles to win ball games, you'd almost expect the Mystics to play with a bit more control. It's possible that Washington's pace also leads to more unforced errors.
The Mystics commit the third-highest turnovers (16.0) per game but allow the most opponent points (18.7) off those giveaways.
When assessing teams, the ones who struggle often can't seem to get away from those self-inflicted wounds.
Thus, it's not entirely surprising that the three worst teams in the league are also at the bottom regarding turnovers.
Seattle creates havoc for opponents on defense, leading the league in forcing 16.6 turnovers per game.
It's difficult to stay in a game when you turn the ball over as much as the Mystics. There's not a ton of margin for error, even if you hit as many 3-pointers as Washington.
Finding the right balance of playing inside-out has been a problem for the Mystics all season. When the shots aren't falling, they need to do a better job of getting easier scoring opportunities inside the paint.
Storm vs. Mystics: Target Sykes Scoring Prop, But Also A SGP
Betting Pick & Prediction
Even with the long layoff following the Olympic break, it appears the Mystics are still taking a more cautious approach with Sykes' return from injury. She played in both of Washington's games since the league resumed but averaged only 22.5 minutes.
Sykes' scoring prop is set at 12.5 at FanDuel, even higher than her median of 11 over the last five games. If Washington continues to limit her minutes, it'll be difficult for her to exceed her prop with 13 or more points.
There's also value in pairing the under in her points prop with the Storm on the moneyline.
Seattle has yet to lose three straight games in the year, and Washington has yet to register a victory over a team above .500.
While I'd recommend isolating the under in Sykes' scoring prop, I'll have a separate ticket on a same-game parlay with odds at +130.
