Hello basketball fans! Welcome to an all-new episode of the "WNBA Buckets" podcast.
On today's show, Maria Marino is joined by Sean Koerner to discuss tonight's four-game slate, which includes a rematch between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, who faced off in the Commissioner's Cup final last week. The Lynx won the Cup and defeated the Liberty 94-89.
Without further ado, let's get into the "WNBA Buckets" best bets for tonight.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:00 p.m. | Lynx +5.5 |
  | 7:00 p.m. | Dream -1.5 |
  | 9:30 p.m. | Over 178.5 Total Points |
  | 10:00 p.m. | Sparks -1.5 |
Lynx +5.5
7:00 p.m. ET ⋅ WNBA League Pass
By Sean Koerner
The Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty played a hell of a game in the Commissioner's Cup final last week. I was on the Lynx at +5.5 during that game, and took it at +6 when it got there, but they won outright.
I'm gonna run it back here again with the Lynx getting +5.5. When it comes to this matchup, this sets up nicely for the Lynx. The Liberty have the best offense and the Lynx have the best defense.
New York leans on 3s and takes them at the highest rate, which translates to it being second in percentage of points from beyond the arc. What the Lynx do really well is prevent 3s — they've allowed the lowest rate of 3s and the lowest 3-point percentage, so that's going to help them.
The Lynx are a good shooting team, and that's where you can beat the Liberty. The Liberty are excellent at preventing offensive rebounds and free-throw attempts, which doesn't help them against the Lynx. I think this is going to come down to a 3-point shooting battle.
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Dream -1.5
7:00 p.m. ET ⋅ CBS Sports Network
By Sean Koerner
I was right in line with the Dream being favored by -1.5. Rhyne Howard is still out, and if she was in the lineup, they would be favored by -3.5.
I think the Dream are the sharp side here, especially if this drops closer to a pick 'em, I would imagine most of the money is going to come in on the Sky.
The Sky have been scrappy, but they've had the third-easiest schedule this season and 11 of their 14 games have been at home.
The Dream are a bad shooting team, but don't turn the ball over and get to the free-throw line at a high rate. I think that's where they can have an edge here. The Sky do tend to foul a lot, and send their opponents to the free-throw line at the third-highest rate.
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Over 178.5 total points
9:30 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN
By Sean Koerner
I was surprised to see this total open at 173.5. I think this matchup should warrant the highest total of the year and have this being closer to 177 total points.
These two teams met back on May 25 and scored 179 total points, and I think that's what we could expect here again.
The Las Vegas Aces are at full strength with Chelsea Gray back, and she's coming off a season-high 22 points. The Indiana Fever rank ninth in defensive rating, so the Aces should be able to put up points, but this also sets up well for the Fever and Caitlin Clark.
Clark and the Fever have struggled with turnovers and the Aces don't really force turnovers. This sets Indiana up well to put up points, and if they keep turning it over, it's just going to be a fast-paced game.
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Sparks -1.5
10:00 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN3
By Sean Koerner
The Washington Mystics are coming off four straight home games, while the Sparks have played seven straight road games.
I've been aware of their long and painful road trip, but that's why I think the Sparks are underrated here. They've been tinkering with their lineup a ton, especially after Cameron Brink's season-ending injury.
This is a game the Sparks want to win because the Mystics are beatable and the Sparks are finally at home. I think we're going to get maximum effort from the Sparks.
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