With the WNBA season heading to the halfway point, tiers are beginning to form. Right now, the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty are the inner-circle contenders. The Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream are the leaders of the outside-looking-in contenders.
Seattle has won this season with ball movement and shooting offensively. Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike stir the drink well in the halfcourt, and the role players finish well. The defense has elite personnel, with Nneka feeding off the energy from breakout star Gabby Williams and perennial All-Defense rep Ezi Magbegor. They’re not the kind of team you want to face come playoff time.
Atlanta wins with a similar formula. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray form a potent two-way backcourt. Brittney Griner controls the paint defensively. Brionna Jones fills in gaps all over the place. They have a litany of solid role players like Jordin Canada, Naz Hillmon, and rookie Te-Hina PaoPao. It’s a solid equation that could lead to a Conference Finals or WNBA Finals appearance.
The Storm are 1.5-point favorites on the road and are -125 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 160.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this contest.
Storm vs. Dream Prediction
This game could go several directions. With the strength of these defenses, things could bog down. On the other hand, this game has a lot of great individual scoring talent. Atlanta’s backcourt can pile things up, and the Skylar Diggins-Nneka Ogwumike pairing make their presence felt on every halfcourt possession.
More importantly, both teams can win in multiple ways. They can lock you down or run away on the scoreboard. It projects to be a great matchup on both ends of the floor, and a true toss-up in my book. And if it’s a toss-up, I’m going for the value play.
Storm vs. Dream Pick
Atlanta Dream Moneyline (+105)
If it’s a toss up, I’ll take the home team at plus money. That screams value to me.
This backcourt can contain Skylar Diggins well, who tends to lead the dance offensively from the perimeter. In tandem, Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner can cause problems for Nneka Ogwumike, who dominates inside the arc. It will be a lot of blows getting traded back-and-forth, and ultimately, I’m backing the team that has been a hair better on both ends of the floor this season. Giddyup.
