The stage is set! Game 1 of the WNBA Finals begins Thursday night at 8p.m. ET on ESPN as the Minnesota Lynx make their way to the Big Apple to face off against the New York Liberty. The Lynx, coming off of a dominant showing against the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the semifinals, are on a quest to pick up where they left off and earn their first championship since 2017.
The Liberty still have revenge in their bones after sending the defending champs packing in the last round with their eyes set on possibly obtaining their first championship in franchise history. A lot is riding on this Finals matchups for both teams and our experts are all over it before tip off.
Get in on our WNBA best bets for Thursday, October 10 below.
WNBA Finals Best Bets for Game 1 on Thursday, Oct. 10
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
| 8 p.m. | |
| 8 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. | ||
Lynx vs. Liberty
The Liberty are huge favorites, and while I think they'll win this series, Breanna Stewart for MVP has better value.
This season, Stewart has had games of — in order — 20 and 11, 24 and 11, 17 and 17 and 38 and 18 against the Lynx, in order. Sabrina Ionescu has only shot over 36 percent once against Minnesota this season and Jonquel Jones likely won't have the same volume of numbers as Stewie to overtake her for MVP.
It's the Liberty's series to lose, and the same goes for Stewart as it relates to Finals MVP.
Pick: Breanna Stewart to Win Finals MVP (+110)
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Lynx vs. Liberty
By Joe Dellera
Play down to -125. (even money at ESPN right now).
I think this is the most likely outcome. We get Liberty sweep and Liberty in 4. The Libs have a significant rest advantage having only had to play 4 games against the Aces and I give them the Game 1 edge. I think it would be very difficult for the Lynx to push this team further than 4 games as good as they are.
The Liberty lost the season series 3-1 but one loss came at the very end of the regular season after the Liberty had essentially locked up the 1 seed and in all of the Lynx’s victories they shot insanely well from beyond the arc. I can give the Lynx a game here somewhere but ultimately, I don’t think they have a great answer for Stewie and Jonquel Jones on the interior.
Pick: New York Liberty Series Alt Spread -1.5 Games (+105)
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Lynx vs. Liberty
By Joe Dellera
If you don’t have PR then pivot to whichever has better odds of 10+ rebounds (-115 DraftKings) or double-double (-110 Bet365) on your books.
The Lynx just don’t have a real traditional center and it’s allowed Stewie to feast on the glass against them. They’ve been one of the worst rebounding teams in the W all season and this has extended into the Playoffs.
Stewie has averaged nearly 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists per game against the Lynx this season and has exceeded 29.5 PR in each game with a double double in each of them.Further, I think this is a tough series for Phee. Stewie is about as strong of a defensive option that you could throw at her along with Jonquel Jones’ interior presence. I don’t think Stewie shadows Phee entirely, but Phee has not exceeded 21 points in any game against the Liberty across the last two seasons.
I can see the Liberty deploying Stewie in cross matches against Guards like they just did against the Aces with Kelsey Plum to disrupt their rhythm. That type of gross matchup can help some with rebounds but also with mismatches on the opposite side of the floor as the Lynx would have to scramble to find her. I can see her taking full advantage of some of those mismatches on the offensive side of the floor.
Pick: Breanna Stewart over 29.5 PR (-122)
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