Action Network contributor and WNBA betting expert Jay Money joined host Maria Marino on the BUCKETS Podcast on Tuesday to break down the WNBA betting slate, including best bets from all three games.
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Liberty vs. Sun Odds
| Liberty Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -120 | 166.5 -110 / -110 | -215 |
| Sun Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -102 | 166.5 -110 / -110 | +172 |
Maria Marino: I like the Liberty -4.5 here. It's never fun to go to Connecticut, but if you're on the road against Connecticut, you might as well be coming from New York, so I'm not too concerned about that.
We know Brionna Jones is out for the season for Connecticut, and I think this may be the first game where they really miss her against that Liberty size, with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones down there. This is going to be Jones' first game going back to Connecticut and playing there since she left the team.
J.J. has not really been playing up to her full potential lately. In her last game, she had double-digit rebounds but didn't score. I think she's going to be really eager for that bounce-back and have a good showing. I don't want to say this is a revenge spot, because she was the one who wanted a trade, but I don't think she's going to want to go into her old building and play poorly.
I would also say that the Liberty, when they sometimes stumble, go crazy in their next game. Last week, for instance, they lost to Atlanta, Stewie did not play well and did not shoot the ball well. In the next game, they went into Atlanta, were favored by seven, and absolutely smoked them. The Liberty have been a little up-and-down, but they tend to bounce back after losses. Stewie, in her last game, didn't play that great, and she's just not the type of player who has two bad games in a row either.
I'm going with the Liberty -4.5 here.
Pick: Liberty -4.5
Storm vs. Lynx Odds
| Storm Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -115 | 161.5 -105 / -115 | +132 |
| Lynx Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -105 | 161.5 -105 / -115 | -162 |
Jay Money: I'm taking the Minnesota Lynx on the moneyline. I did get it at -140. I don't hate the spread, it's just that the moneyline was kind of low. Anything under -150, I'll go ahead and take the moneyline, just in case.
The Lynx have had four days of rest, where they've had a chance to practice and get over their 21-point home loss to the Connecticut Sun. This is a nice little bounce-back Jay spot, as I like to call it. I like to listen to the postgame reactions and practice interviews as well, and everything they are saying is that they have to protect home court. This team is only 1-5 this season at home. You can kind of call this a must-win game. Obviously, it's still early in the season, and the Lynx still have a chance to make the playoffs.
This is a very winnable game as well. The Seattle Storm have not won back-to-back games so far this season. They are coming off a win against a terrible Mercury team, but I feel like the Lynx really need to protect home court and get this win. They are 5-0 against the spread this season coming off a loss, so if you like the -2.5 or -3, I still think they can win this game by five or more points.
My last point on this one is I trust the home team more with the better free throw percentage in a close game. They are third in the league in free throw percentage, whereas the Storm are the third worst in the league. So when you have the third best free throw percentage vs. the third worst, it may come into play here.
Give me the Minnesota Lynx in this must-win situation.
Pick: Lynx Moneyline (-150 or Better)
Wings vs. Mercury Odds
| Wings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 167.5 -114 / -105 | -170 |
| Mercury Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 167.5 -114 / -105 | +138 |
Maria Marino: I like the Wings minus the points in Phoenix. The main thing here is that Phoenix is too banged up. They got Brittney Griner back, they got Diana Taurasi back, but they lost Sophie Cunningham, who is questionable for tonight. Shey Peddy has injuries going on, and Megan Gustafson is out in concussion protocol. The Mercury are one of the bottom teams in the league already, and they have a lot of these injury issues, never mind all the off the court stuff.
We know that Vanessa Nygaard was dismissed, which we kind of saw coming. She was put in a tough situation from the jump being named head coach of that team. We've been seeing videos of Skylar Diggins-Smith getting shots up, so it seems like she's starting to work her way back. However, whenever anyone on the Mercury is asked about it in the media, there are these cryptic answers, so I don't know what the vibe is behind the scenes.
On the Dallas side, this is a team with two All-Star starters in Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally, and yet they've lost five of their last six. They are actually 1-6 on the road, and this is a road game, which is tied with Phoenix for the worst record in the league.
If they're going to get a win on the road, this is a team they need to exploit and take advantage of. I just think the Wings, suffering some of these tough losses lately, are a little embarrassed right now, and they need to go out and get a dominant win against one of the weaker teams in the league that is going to be shorthanded.
