WNBA Expert Picks Friday | Odds, Predictions for Mystics vs Sun, Storm vs Lynx (May 17)

WNBA Expert Picks Friday

Brittney Sykes led the Mystics with 10 rebounds in their season opener against the Liberty.

She's a high-effort player who will have games where she racks up a ton of boards. But as a guard, she needs a bit of luck to get to 6+. Case in point: In that first game, six of Sykes' 10 rebounds came on a missed 3-pointer.

This will be a tougher matchup for Sykes to rack up boards as the Sun play at a slow pace, shoot a lot of high-percentage shots inside, and get to the free-throw line at a high rate

I'm projecting Sykes closer to five rebounds with a fair price of around -140 for the under. So getting plus odds here is nice.

Pick: Brittney Sykes Under 5.5 Rebounds (+108)

The total for these two teams was 164.5 for this same exact matchup on opening night. The under in that game cashed easily with 153 total points.

However, it was the fastest-paced game of the season so far.

Normally, this is a situation where I may say that means it's a great spot to take the over.

However, the expected score I had based on the two teams' shot selection and pace in that matchup was still around 164. So I think a total in the 163-164 range still makes sense for this matchup.

The line got steamed up a few points, so I'll the under under here.

Pick: Under 167 (-105)