When you’re this close to the WNBA playoffs and jockeying for seeding position, you never want to be stumbling into the stretch run. But that’s precisely where the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm find themselves. The two will go to battle on Friday night, looking to crystallize their seeding.
The Storm are 1.5-point favorites at home and hold -125 odds on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 162.5 points. Let’s take a look at the best bets and predictions for this Liberty-Storm matchup.
Liberty vs. Storm prediction, pick
The New York Liberty’s title defense has been a tragic comedy of sorts. After adding some impressive tools in the offseason, they looked like a lock to head back to the Finals after a 9-0 start. Since then, it’s been an injury-riddled trudge through the season with a 15-17 record. Now, the best they can (realistically) hope for is securing the fifth-seed in the WNBA playoffs, and they’ll have to fight off the teams nipping at their heels to do so.
It’s a cruel twist of fate how their injuries have lined up. Jonquel Jones missed a month, then Breanna Stewart missed a month. Now with both back in the fold, Sabrina Ionescu has been out for three straight games. She’s currently listed as questionable for tonight’s game, and her absence would be a significant shift in favor of the Storm.
But the Storm aren’t playing their best ball, either. Despite their high-end talent and depth of strong role players, Seattle has failed to find cohesion all year. At 22-20, they’re still at risk of falling out of the playoff picture; the Los Angeles Sparks are 19-21 and have an unlikely shot at catching them. They’re also only a game ahead of the eighth-seeded Fever in the loss column. And when the eighth seed has to face the Lynx, that’s a huge deal.
Both teams bring strong defenses to the table. The problem is that Ionescu may be ruled out again, and even if she plays, may be hobbled by her injury. That’s enough to give Seattle the edge here.
