Two games of WNBA action are scheduled for the Saturday, July 5th slate.
Starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Indiana Fever will host the Los Angeles Sparks. Caitlin Clark has missed the last four games due to a groin issue, with this set to extend into today. Clark returned to practice this morning but is still listed as out ahead of tonight’s clash.
Then, at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Golden State Valkyries will face the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx continue to sit at the top of the WNBA standings with a 15-2 overall record, while the Valkyries have impressed with a 9-7 record in their inaugural season. This will be the second matchup between these two teams, with the Lynx winning 86-75 back on June 1st.
Ahead of the pair of matchups, here are my favorite WNBA bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Aliyah Boston Over 8.5 Rebounds (-115)
Coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons, Aliyah Boston is taking another encouraging step forward in her development. The 6-foot-5 forward is averaging 16.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting a career-high 60.3% from the field. Boston is the Fever’s leading rebounder and has tallied over 8.5 rebounds in eight of the 17 games thus far. This includes the previous matchup with the Sparks in which Boston pulled in 10 rebounds. She has been pulling in boards at an especially high level as of late, tallying 10+ rebounds in three of her past six games, and has tallied 13 rebounds twice this year.
This is a favorable matchup against the Sparks, as they have not been particularly strong on the glass. So far this year, Los Angeles ranks 11th in rebounds per game and seventh in the league in rebounding percentage at 49.7%. Cameron Brink remains out for Los Angeles as she recovers from the ACL tear she sustained last year. Her 6-foot-4 frame and the 5.3 rebounds she provided last year would be a step toward helping fix these problems.
In the meantime, count on Boston to have a path to dominating the glass. She has already had success against the Sparks and is performing especially well of late. Count on her to pull in at least nine rebounds for the ninth time this season and in the second straight matchup with Los Angeles.
You can also check out my top three player prop bets on tonight’s WNBA slate on DraftKings Sportsbook here.
Indiana Fever -5 vs. Los Angeles Sparks (-115)
No Caitlin Clark, no problem. This has been the recent theme for the Fever, who enter having won three of their last four games without their star guard. They are 9-8 on the season overall and are 5-4 without Clark. The lone exception in this recent strong stretch has been a loss to the Sparks. In their first matchup of the season, taking place on June 26th, the Sparks defeated the Fever 85-75.
Los Angeles is just 5-13 on the season and has dropped six of its last seven. The victory over the Fever is the lone exception in this stretch. The Sparks sit in 12th place out of the 13 WNBA teams, only ahead of the Connecticut Sun. They rank eighth in the league in scoring with 81.6 points per game and are eighth in three-point makes per contest. Defense has been their biggest concern, as opponents are scoring 86.9 points per game against them, which ranks 11th in the league.
Indiana has a deep roster that it has been forced to rely on in recent games. It ranks fifth in the WNBA in scoring at 83.9 points per game and shoots the fifth-best three-point percentage in the league. Opponents are scoring just 78.5 points against it, which is the third-best rate, and opponents are shooting the worst three-point percentage in the league against Indiana.
The Fever have been surprisingly impressive without Clark. They are coming off back-to-back convincing victories over the Lynx and Aces by a combined 155-113 margin. It took a fourth quarter meltdown in which the Sparks outscored the Fever 35-17 for that win. This was also the first game without Clark since the groin injury popped up. Indiana has settled in since this point and found its stride with Kelsey Mitchell stepping up in a major way. The Fever are the better overall team and will have a chip on their shoulder following the previous loss to the Sparks. With the home crowd behind them, expect the Fever to roll tonight and have no trouble covering the five-point spread as they wipe away their previous frustrating loss to the Sparks.
Minnesota Lynx Team Total Over 83.5 Points (-105)
The Minnesota Lynx have been the best team in the WNBA to this point, holding a record of 15-2 and ranking second in the league in scoring at 85.7 points per game. They also lead the league in both field-goal and three-point percentage as well as offensive rating. Minnesota has scored 84 or more points in 10 of the 17 games thus far. This includes five of its past seven.
Golden State has done an impressive job asserting itself on the defensive end. It is holding opponents to an average of 77.2 points per game, the second-best rate in the league, and ranks second in defensive rating. Opponents are also shooting just 39.3% from the floor when facing the Valkyries, which is the lowest rate in the league. Opponents have only scored over 83.5 points against the Valkyries in four games this season.
One of these matchups was the previous game played between these two teams, which resulted in an 86-75 victory by the Lynx. Golden State is a good defensive team, but Minnesota is even better offensively. The Valkyries have also had most of their success at home, going 7-3 at home but just 2-4 on the road. The Chase Center has turned into one of the better environments in the WNBA, but tonight’s game will be taking place in Minnesota. Two of the four games in which Golden State has allowed over 83.5 points occurred when playing away from home. The Lynx have tallied over 100 points twice when playing at home this season and they are averaging 87.1 points per game when playing at the Target Center.
Golden State deserves credit for how well it has performed to start the year, but this is a matchup in which I expect the talent gap to be evident. The Lynx have looked dominant all season and are not showing any signs of slipping. Capitalize on their team total being brought down a bit due to the defensive matchup and count on the Lynx still cruising past 83.5 points for the 11th time this season.
