The Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks will face off today in a five-game WNBA slate. With time running out on the season, both the Sparks and Mystics are still hoping to play their way into the playoffs, sitting in ninth and 10th place in the standings, respectively.
Looking to the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is a three-point favorite with -148 odds on the Moneyline. Washington has +124 odds on the Moneyline of getting the win, while the total is set at 171.5 points. Here are my best bets and predictions for this Mystics-Sparks contest.
Mystics vs. Sparks prediction, pick
Sunday’s game will be the third of four meetings between the Mystics and Sparks. Los Angeles has won both of the previous two over Washington already, downing the Mystics by 19 at home and by seven on the road as well. That second win for Los Angeles was 10 games ago for both teams, and the Sparks and Mystics have been going on opposite paths since then.
Since their back-to-back wins over Washington in July, the Sparks have taken off, winning seven of their last 10 games behind an exploding offense. Los Angeles ranks second in the WNBA this season averaging 86.6 points on 46% shooting, but in its last 10 games, its offense has been even stronger, averaging 93.3 points a game on 47.6% shooting from the field. The Sparks have scored at least 95 points in seven of their last 10 as well, led by guard Kelsey Plum, who erupted for 28 points in the team’s 97-96 win Friday over Dallas.
Washington, on the other hand, hasn’t been quite as strong. Despite keeping pace with their bottom-four ranked offense that has averaged 79 points a game this season, the Mystics have gone 4-6 in their last 10 games, averaging 79.6 points a game in that time. Washington also traded its leading scorer in Brittney Sykes to the Storm five games ago, and the team has gone 2-3 in that time, including taking a 78-64 loss to the 12th-place Sky.
Both these teams will be looking to gain some ground in the WNBA standings, with the Sparks and Mystics each within two games of being back in the playoff picture. Despite Los Angeles being on the road, it is the stronger team in this contest, going 10-7 so far this season away from home and 4-1 in its last five road games. With the Sparks already having won two over Washington and their offense continuing to roll, they should be able to cover once again.
