WNBA Best Bets | Fever vs Mystics, Lynx vs Mercury Picks
Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals won't take place until Sunday, but luckily, we still have some stellar basketball to bet before then.
Friday's WNBA slate features four games, and two of them are sticking out to our experts from a betting perspective. Our WNBA writers came through with three best bets for Friday — two for Fever vs. Mystics and one for Lynx vs. Mercury.
Read on for all three WNBA best bets and expert picks — and be sure to check back tomorrow for even more WNBA betting coverage.
WNBA Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our WNBA betting staff is targeting from Friday's four-game slate. 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. | ||
| 10 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. | ||
Fever vs. Mystics
By Dano Mataya
The Indiana Fever, who have played the hardest schedule to date in the WNBA, are finally in a spot coming off more than three days of rest for the first time all season.
This is also the largest spread for the Fever as a favorite this season, and rightfully so against the 0-10 Washington Mystics.
I love this spot for the Fever playing, on paper, their easiest competition to date. Plus, the Mystics are coming off a back-to-back. I have the Fever by 5, so play them up to -4.
Pick: Fever -2 (Play to -4)
By Jim Turvey
We get to bet Caitlin Clark again!
Clark fades have been a popular play over here this season, and those angles have been mostly profitable. But Friday offers a good buy-low spot on the former Iowa Hawkeye.
After 11 games in 19 days to start the season, Indy finally has had a chance to catch its breath this week. The Fever haven't played since last Sunday, but the Mystics will be on a back-to-back.
The Mystics are also winless this season, which would theoretically make them hungry for that first win. But given the fact that they're content listing Brittney Sykes on the injury report game after game, I'm not sure they're in a rush to win.
I also wouldn't be shocked if they sit Shakira Austin on a back-to-back, but I like both parts of this play whether Austin plays or not.
What Clark has really struggled with this season is long, athletic wings face-guarding her nonstop. The Mystics just don't have the personnel to do that.
Her matchup will likely be Ariel Atkins with a chance of drawing some Karlie Samuelson and Julie Vanloo. None of those players have the length and strength to bother Clark, which is great news for this same-game parlay.
Pick: Caitlin Clark Over 17.5 Points + Fever ML
Lynx vs. Mercury
By Maltman
The best team in the WNBA by Basketball Reference’s SRS (simple rating system) is not the 9-0 Connecticut Sun or the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. It's the Minnesota Lynx.
The Lynx are the best shooting team in the league, and they're also the best defensive team in terms of effective field goal percentage.
Minnesota has gone 7-2 against the spread this season, including 4-0 on the road. It just went to L.A. and destroyed the Sparks, and now it gets another shot at Phoenix.
The Mercury, meanwhile, opened the season 3-1 before a 1-5 stretch that included blowout losses to the Sun and Lynx. What do those two teams have in common? They're the best defensive teams in the league. Without Brittney Griner, their offense just isn’t good enough to hang with elite defensive teams.
I’m betting 0.25 units on Lynx -5 at -110 at Caesars, but I’d also bet -5.5 at -110 at any other book as well. I'll take Minnesota to -7.5.
Pick: Lynx -5 (Play to -7.5)
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