The WNBA season continues into the home stretch before the international break with a two-game slate on Monday. In the later game, which begins at 10 p.m. ET, the Atlanta Dream head to the West Coast as they take on the Los Angeles Sparks. One of these squads is headed to the playoffs while the other’s campaign will certainly end when the regular season does, but there’s still reason to tune in tonight.
Here’s a betting preview, prediction and pick for this Dream vs. Sparks game courtesy of WNBA odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Dream vs. Sparks prediction, preview.
The Dream are on a nice three-game winning streak at the moment, and over their last 10 outings, they’ve won seven times. Momentum is clearly on their side heading into the final weeks of the regular season at 24-13. Atlanta has the fourth-best NETRTG in the WNBA at +6.8, sitting fifth in OFFRTG and fourth in DEFRTG. The club is third in scoring with 91.4 PPG, even despite poor shooting splits of a 44.2% FG% and a 32.5% 3P%. They make up for a lack of efficiency with extra possessions, leading the league in offensive rebounds with 10.8 per game and a 36.3% OREB%, plus another high mark with 9.1 steals per game. Excellence on the boards isn’t limited to the offensive glass, though – rebounding is certainly a strong suit at third in REB% overall, too. The Dream are also fourth in AST%, sixth in TOV%, and fourth in pace.
Allisha Gray remains the top scorer for the Dream with 19.4 points per game, but there’s much more talent on this team. Rhyne Howard averages 18.2 points a night with 3.7 assists and 2.4 steams, and Angel Reese posts a double-double of 16.3 points and 12.0 boards a game as well. Jordin Canada also averages double-digit scoring with 11.6 points and a team-best 7.4 dimes.
It’s been a rough season for the Sparks, who have been eliminated from the playoff race at 13-24 on the campaign. They’ve gone just 3-7 over their last 10 games and are notably just 6-12 on their own home court. A -6.2 NETRTG ranks 12th among all teams, and they’re 10th in OFFRTG as well as 13th in DEFRTG. Los Angeles ranks seventh in scoring with 87.7 PPG, but that mark has dropped to just 81.7 PPG and falls second-to-last since the trade that sent star Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury. The Sparks shoot a nice 46.5% from the field but hit just 33.3% of their three-point attempts, ranking fifth in TS%. They’re also third in pace, playing an up-tempo style, but a poor 48.0% REB% falls 12th, as does an 18.4% TOV%.
Veteran Nneka Ogwumike, who recently announced her intention to retire following this season, leads the Sparks with 16.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Dearica Hamby posts 14.8 points with 7.1 boards, and Rae Burrell averages 14.4 points per game. Erica Wheeler pitches in 9.3 points and a team-best 5.2 assists, while Cam Brink and Ariel Atkins play notable roles.
Dream vs. Sparks pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Dream as a 10.5-point favorite on the road with -600 odds on the Moneyline. The Sparks are a +440 underdog to win outright with the game total set at 181.5.
There’s no denying the likelihood that this game becomes an absolute blowout. As mentioned earlier, Atlanta is one of the best two-way teams in the WNBA with top-five marks in both OFFRTG and DEFRTG, wreaking havoc on the boards and on defense with more steals than another other club. The Dream possess plenty of top talent, far more than Los Angeles at that. As mentioned earlier, the Sparks’ offense has truly struggled since trading Plum away at the start of the month and has won just twice in nine games since then.
Most telling of all is the final score of the last meeting between these teams, which was last Thursday. In that one, the Dream won 124-88 in a game that wasn’t even close to competitive. Given the state of both rosters, it shouldn’t be a struggle for Atlanta to cover this 10.5-point spread.
