We have two WNBA games in action on Wednesday, August 21 — Mercury vs. Dream and Lynx vs. Aces.
With that in mind, here's WNBA best bets and expert picks from our staff for Wednesday's slate.
WNBA Best Bets for Wednesday, Aug. 21
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our WNBA betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
| 7:30 p.m. | |
| 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
| 9:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our WNBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Mercury vs. Dream
Mercury -1.5
The Phoenix Mercury are 9-3 against the spread as a favorite this year and 10-2 straight up, which isn't irrelevant given the narrow point spread.
The Atlanta Dream, who are given more of a shot here than I would've anticipated, are just 5-8 ATS at home, though they've been really good since the break finished.
The Dream have had a couple of surprising efforts at home, beating the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun since returning from break, but with back-to-back home games against Phoenix, you'd think they'd drop at least one.
This feels like the one in a potential letdown spot after going into the break losing eight straight and playing above their heads.
Pick: Mercury -1.5 |
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Mercury -1.5
The Phoenix Mercury are a team I'm looking to back in the second half of the season. They're a veteran-laden group with tons of talent that power ranks higher than they actually are in the standings.
This is a good spot to back them because they're on the road vs. the Atlanta Dream, who have won their last two games.
The recent wins for the Dream are against the Connecticut Sun and the Seattle Storm, both of whom have been struggling.
Here we get a very low spread to back the Mercury because of the good priors of the home team, but this is the right spot to back the vets.
Pick: Mercury -1.5 |
What is QuickSlip?
QuickSlip is an Action Network feature that allows users to automatically pre-load their bet slip at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Natasha Cloud 8+ Assists (+140)
Natasha Cloud is the initiator of the Phoenix Mercury offense. In a spot where the game total has increased four points from the opening number — starting at 161.5 and now being priced at 165.5 — I want to find correlated ways to expect a fast-paced, high-scoring game.
Cloud averages seven assists for the Mercury. In a game where the Mercury are slight favorites and the total is dramatically rising, shooting for 8+ and playing below 42% implied probability in the odds is worth a small half-unit play
Pick: Natasha Cloud 8+ Assists (+140)
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Lynx vs. Aces
Chelsea Gray Over 7.5 Points
By Joe Dellera
I’m okay at 8.5 here.
The Aces take on the Lynx in a game in which the Aces have the opportunity to close the gap between themselves and the 2/3 part of the bracket.
As a result of that, I expect to see a bit more Chelsea Gray.
Gray’s minutes fluctuate pretty heavily on a game-to-game basis, but they always spike in games the Aces deem important. This is one they need to avoid the four seed and an early matchup against the Liberty in the playoffs.
Gray has hit this line in 50% of games this year, but when she plays at least 20 minutes, it spikes to 64% and she averages nine points per outing.
Looking at the historical head-to-head matchups, she has exceeded 7.5 points in eight-of-eight vs. the Lynx since 2022, while averaging 15.4 points in 30.4 minutes per game.
The Lynx’s defense is top notch, but this is a game where I expect Gray to rise to the occasion.
Pick: Chelsea Gray Over 7.5 Points
Bridget Carlton 15+ Points (+390)
This is a nice upshot play that's relative to the recent trade of the Minnesota Lynx and the acquisition of Myisha Hines-Allen. I don't think Hines-Allen will suit up just 24 hours after being traded, and the Lynx lose two players from their lineup in the deal.
The line movement indicates the Lynx will be short-handed, as this moved two points towards the Aces upon the trade news breaking.
The total has also climbed, so I'm finding ways to play into a pace up game with less depth for the Lynx.
Carleton should see an uptick in minutes, is coming into the game hot and has the ability to knock down 3s and get hot, so let's take nearly 4:1 odds on her to have 15+.
Pick: Bridget Carleton 15+ Points (+390)
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