We have a relatively light slate in the WNBA tonight, with only two games on the docket.
Our basketball betting experts have locked in four bets, including a pick against the spread and three player prop predictions. Let's take a look at our WNBA best bets and Thursday's picks and predictions.
WNBA Best Bets
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
| 7 p.m. | |
  | 10 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. | ||
Joe Dellera's Storm vs Liberty WNBA Best Bet: Back New York
By Joe Dellera
The Liberty have not played since last Friday so they should come in well rested against a Storm team that is on a getaway game after a week-long Eastern Conference road trip.
Besides the scheduling advantage, the Liberty defeated the Storm by a score of 98-85 in the last game the Liberty played back in Seattle as they closed their road trip.
The Liberty have been the best team in the WNBA this season and the Storm are no slouches either; however, they are significantly worse on the road with a -0.9 Net Rating and 8-8 straight up record compared to +11.8 (WNBA Best) and 12-5 at home.
Considering the rest advantage and the home/road splits, this is a great spot to back the Liberty.
Pick: Liberty -7.5 (-115)
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Joe Dellera's Storm vs Liberty WNBA Best Bet: Ionescu Should Thrive
By Joe Dellera
As I previously mentioned in my Liberty -7.5 play, the Liberty have a significant rest advantage, and tired legs are bad for defensive rotations. I expect Sabrina Ionescu to exploit this advantage. Ionescu averages 5.9 assists per game this season but she has racked up eight in each of her two games against the Storm.
The defense has not traveled as well for the Storm and they allow 20.4 assists per game to their opponents on the road compared to 18.4 at home. This checks out considering their Defensive Rating jumps from 93.8 to 98.1. It’s still a strong Defensive Rating, but it’s a clear step down from their home performances.
I expect the Liberty to get to this Storm defense with Ionescu as the primary facilitator.
Pick: Sabrina Ionescu Over 5.5 Assists (-120)
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Bryan Fonseca's Mystics vs Mercury WNBA Best Bet: Bet Vanloo From 3
Julie Vanloo shoots 71% of her shots from long range, so I'm always looking at her three-point over/under — which is often listed at 1.5 — for a potential spot.
This time, I like our chances.
Vanloo is playing a Mercury defense that allows the most three-point attempts (26.9) and makes (8.9) per contest, at the time of this writing.
Vanloo, who is back in the starting lineup over her last five outings, has gone over twice — and in both outings, they came over three attempts per game. She's only shot three threes in three of her last five outings (seven and eight in the other two, respectively) but against the Mercury's perimeter, we should see an uptick.
She went 5-for-12 from three-point range against Phoenix on July 16 right before the break, and 5-for-10 against the Mercury in May. Vanloo's season-high is five made threes in a game, which she's done three times — twice against Phoenix.
I'd go over 1.5 at -130 and ladder it up to 3 (+230). Might also take a swing at five again, because it's +1500, so why not?
Pick: Julie Vanloo Over 1.5 Three Pointers Made (-130)
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Bryan Fonseca's Mystics vs Mercury WNBA Best Bet: Cloud Can Do It All
Natasha Cloud has cleared this in two of her last three outings, and went way over in both games against her former team. In two games against Washington this season, Cloud has gotten to 31 and 29 points + rebounds + assists.
It's a favorable match-up on the perimeter, and in both previous games, she's gotten double-doubles with points and assists, and a near triple-double on July 16, her last outing before the break.
The concern here would be the shooting, she's just 33% from the field since the WNBA has returned to action, but she's 39% on 4.5 threes per game during that run, and she's also not getting enough free throws — three total attempts over her last three games.
Despite that, she's at 40% from the field and 2.8 free throw attempts per game this season, hitting 81%. She's due to bounce back in both areas, and against a defense she's shredded twice — a bottom half defense in the league — I'd expect to see progression.
Pick: Natasha Cloud Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-134)
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