A pivotal Game 3 is on deck for Wednesday night in the WNBA Finals. After going a game a piece in Brooklyn, the Liberty and Lynx head to Minnesota for the next two matchups. The Lynx, on one hand, are aiming to get the job done on their home floor to bring home their first WNBA championship since 2017.
Meanwhile, the Liberty are ready to do what it takes to push the Lynx to their limits on their home floor. At 1-1, the series can go either way in Game 3, which will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Before the game officially gets underway, our experts provide their best bets that include a couple of first quarter bets and a set of player prop picks. Continue below for our WNBA Finals Game 3 picks, predictions, and best bets for Wednesday, October 16.
WNBA Finals Picks, Predictions, Best Bets for Wednesday, October 16
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
| 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. | ||
Bryan Fonseca's First Quarter Bet on Liberty vs. Lynx
The Liberty have smoked the Lynx in first quarters this series. Sure, that probably won't happen every game.
However, they went for 32 and 31 in the opening stanza's for Game's 1 and 2 in Brooklyn. Their offense travels — they were 16-4 straight up on the road, and at home, this season — and even going way under could get you over this.
Given what we've seen, the line is fairly puzzling, and while they will not get 30 in the first 10 minutes often, it's still a number they've destroyed in back-to-back games.
They went over this just once in four regular season outings against Minnesota, and the lone over was in the Commissioner's Cup Final, so it would explain why we're getting 20.5 despite Game's 1 and 2 — and I'm OK with that.
Pick: Liberty Over 20.5 1Q pts
| | | |
Joe Dellera's Player Prop Pick for Liberty vs. Lynx
By Joe Dellera
Stewart has been excellent for the Liberty this series even though she has struggled a bit with efficiency. On the season, she has been even better on the road though and has averaged 21.3 ppg to go along with 7.8 rpg.
On the road, it’s always tougher to ask the role players to perform and I think Stewart will see a bit of a bump offensively. She has continued to demand the ball and get up good looks but the defense from Phee has limited her to a degree. However, she’s playing with elite volume and the best strategy to tire out Phee on the offensive side is to constantly include her on the defensive side of the ball.
Stewie has scored just 8 and 6 points per game in the paint which is a far cry from her 10.3 paint points per game. She’s below this despite having 12 and 10 paint attempts in these games which is higher than her 9.2 paint attempts mark on the season as a whole.
As the series goes on, it has become abundantly clear that the Liberty have a stark advantage on the glass, and one way to get Stewart going a bit more is to have her crash the offensive and defensive glass.
Game 3 is a pivotal spot for these teams, and I expect Stewart to leave it all on the floor and put up a strong effort in a game where the Liberty have received sharp action on the spread since the open.
Pick: Breanna Stewart Over 30.5 PR
| | | |
Braxton Reynold's First Quarter Bet on Liberty vs. Lynx
Pick: 1st Quarter Over 40.5 Total Points (-108)
| | | |
Bryan Fonseca's Player Prop for Liberty vs. Lynx
The Liberty have smashed the Lynx on the class in two straight, and right now, Jonquel Jones leads the team in boards with 19. She had 10 in Game 1, with 24 points, and another nine in Game 2, just narrowly missing a second straight double-double.
This is a great match-up for Jones, who is going to find success on the glass against a Lynx team who, while great defensively, is often undersized for the former WNBA MVP.
Jones will be a double-double threat nightly in this series, and I like taking a shot at plus money here instead of just playing a juiced over 22.5 points and rebounds combo, which I also like, it just has less value.
Pick: Jonquel Jones To Record a Double-Double (+130)
| | | |
