It is a full five-game slate of WNBA action across today’s Friday, August 1st slate.
Four games will be tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Phoenix Mercury will face the Atlanta Dream, the Connecticut Sun will host the New York Liberty, the Golden State Valkyries and the Chicago Sky will square off, and the Indiana Fever will take on the Dallas Wings. Then, at 10:00 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Sparks will travel to face the Seattle Storm.
With plenty of action taking place tonight, here are my favorite WNBA prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday’s games.
Allisha Gray Over 5.5 Rebounds (-105)
Allisha Gray has stepped up in a major way since Rhyne Howard went down with an injury. Howard suffered a bone bruise in her right knee and remains out without a timetable for her return. The three-time All-Star leaves 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game of production available for the taking, and Gray has been the biggest beneficiary.
On the season overall, Gray is averaging a career-best 18.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. She has tallied over 5.5 rebounds in 14 of the 27 games this season, including seven of the eight games since Howard got injured. This includes a matchup against the Phoenix Mercury in which Gray pulled in seven rebounds. She has tallied as many as 11 in a game this season.
This is a friendly matchup for rebounding against the Mercury. Phoenix enters tonight with the fifth-lowest overall rebounding percentage, ranking eighth in rebounds per game, and the fourth-worst offensive rebounding percentage. This is especially notable with 83.9% of Gray’s rebounds coming on the defensive end. With Howard remaining out and a strong recent track record on the boards, including against this Mercury team, I like Gray’s chances of pulling in over 5.5 rebounds again tonight.
Jonquel Jones Under 10.5 Rebounds (-140)
The New York Liberty will face the Connecticut Sun tonight, who bring up the rear of the WNBA standings with little competition. Jonquel Jones headlines the rebounding effort for the Liberty with 9.1 per contest, along with her 13.6 points and 2.3 assists per game.
However, 10.5 is a high bar that Jones has only cleared in four of the 14 games she has played. One of these came against the Sun, but Jones has seen a reduction in rebounding output since returning from her right ankle sprain. She is pulling in 8.4 rebounds per game across the five games she has returned and has only tallied over 10.5 in a game once.
There is not much optimism for Connecticut in this game, with the Liberty entering as 11.5-point favorites for a reason. If New York can build a big lead, expect Jones to see her minutes limited. She played just 23:07 of game time in the first matchup between these two teams, which resulted in a 48-point Liberty victory. The Sun’s rebounding numbers don’t inspire confidence overall, but each of Tina Charles, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Aneesah Morrow is pitching in over five rebounds per contest. 10.5 is too lofty a total for my liking, and I am backing Jones to be held under this number for the fifth time in the past six games.
Kelsey Plum to Record 20+ Points (+110)
Plenty of attention has been paid to Cameron Brink making her return to play for the Los Angeles Sparks. Brink played 14 minutes in her first game back from last year’s season-ending ACL tear and finished with five points and three rebounds in her limited opportunities. But don’t let this fully distract you from Kelsey Plum continuing to be the offensive leader for Los Angeles. The four-time All-Star and two-time Champion is averaging 20.2 points per game on the season, along with 6.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds.
Seattle sits in fourth place in the WNBA standings with a 16-11 record, but has had some uneasy stretches of late. Plum missed the first matchup between these two teams, which resulted in a 98-67 Seattle victory. But expect things to be a bit different with the Los Angeles star on the floor.
The standard point prop for Plum is set at 18.5. While I like this number as well, I am backing the +110 odds of her cracking 20 points. Plum has reached this total in 15 of the 25 games she has played this season, including three straight and five of her past six games entering tonight. Look for her to benefit from the attention Brink commands and for last year’s second overall pick to make most of her impact on the defensive end for the time being. Count on Plum continuing to perform like the star that Los Angeles traded for, and for the attention that Brink commands to open things up even further.
