There’s never a good time to face the Minnesota Lynx, but for the Seattle Storm, this is as good as it’s going to get. News came down the pipeline on Monday that Minnesota will be without MVP favorite Napheesa Collier for the foreseeable future.
There’s never a good time for an ankle sprain, but this stretch of the year coming without Collier is rough. Minnesota is 5.5 games clear of the field, but this absence could disrupt a lot of chemistry on the floor. It has five weeks to get Collier healthy, and she’s out for at least two weeks. Any extended absence adds more rust to shake off before playoff time. It’s a tricky equation for them to solve.
Seattle will take any edge it can get. Losers of four of their last six games, the Storm are only 2.5 games away from dropping entirely out of the playoff picture. Conversely, they’re only 2.5 games from the second seed. That’s the nature of this WNBA playoff race and how thin the margins are.
The Storm are 1.5-point favorites at home and hold -125 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 155.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this Lynx-Storm contest.
Lynx vs. Storm prediction, pick
It’s a small sample size, but the Lynx are 2-1 on the season without Collier. They’re not dead in the water without their MVP. It speaks to their depth and adaptability as a team. Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride are capable of scaling up offensively, and the defense can piece things together. Alanna Smith can put a lot on her shoulders, as can Bridget Carlton.
Minnesota also made a big defensive addition by trading for DiJonai Carrington. The reigning MIP was a first-team All-Defense rep last year while finishing fourth in DPOY voting. That gives them some serious defensive upside, even without reigning DPOY Collier. Against a very up-and-down Storm offense, that comes in handy.
The Storm is a difficult team to trust. They don’t have the cohesion on either end of the floor that Minnesota possesses. Even as the home favorites, I’m not a fan of their offense or believe their defense can truly shut down the Lynx. That’s why we’ve got a two-fer in this contest.
Top Pick: Minnesota Lynx Moneyline (+105) and Under 155.5 Total Points (-110)
If you’re feeling a bit spicy, the two-leg same game parlay on those two picks is +286. Just saying.
