Wednesday was a rough day for the Minnesota Lynx. Facing a Mercury team down two All-Stars, a win would have given them a five-game lead over the rest of the WNBA field. After a fourth-quarter choke job, they have to turn right around and fly to Los Angeles for a tilt with the Sparks.
Minnesota lost on Wednesday because everyone except Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams had a lid on the basket. That happens against this Mercury defense. But the Sparks are well behind defensively; they’re 6-13 and have the third-lowest defensive rating in the league. That’s a tough formula for taking down the Lynx.
Minnesota is a six-point favorite on the road and is -258 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 163.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this contest.
Lynx vs. Sparks Prediction
On the second end of a road back-to-back, the Lynx may take the opportunity to rest some players. And those that don’t sit will carry the bumps, bruises, and exhaustion of playing the Mercury the night before. It’s no wonder that they’re favored by less against the Sparks than against the Mercury.
Still, a less-than-100% Lynx team can beat out the Sparks on any given night. Their elite defense can throw a lot of pressure on Kelsey Plum, Azura Stevens, and Dearica Hamby. Additionally, Minnesota’s offense is underrated, considering the team leads the WNBA in offensive rating. The Sparks only win one way: by making your defense look as bad as theirs is. I don’t like that equation against the Lynx at all.
Lynx vs. Sparks Pick
Minnesota Lynx -6 (-110)
It’s hard to believe that the 17-3 Lynx could lose two games in a row, especially against two teams that they should beat. I cannot in good conscience bet against them when playing a struggling Sparks team.
The only thing that could truly sink Minnesota is if Napheesa Collier were ruled out. Playing without their soon-to-be MVP puts a serious dent in their upside. However, no reports have been released so far regarding her being load-managed in this one. And we’ve seen them scrape by before without Collier. I’m backing the Lynx in this one with complete confidence that they return to their winning ways.
