There are three games of WNBA action taking place across today’s Sunday slate. The final push for the postseason is on, with the Minnesota Lynx having clinched their playoff berth and three teams having already been eliminated from contention.
Starting at 3:00 p.m. ET, the Washington Mystics will host the Seattle Storm. An hour later, the Golden State Valkyries will travel to face the Dallas Wings. Then the final matchup of the night will take place at 7:00 p.m. ET, taking place between the Indiana Fever and the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.
Ahead of the Sunday WNBA action, here are my favorite WNBA bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Golden State Valkyries -2 (-112)
The Dallas Wings have officially been eliminated from WNBA playoff contention and slipped to the worst record in the league at 9-28 on the year. They have lost four games in a row and nine of their last 10 despite some encouraging production from top rookie Paige Bueckers. The Wings will face off against the Golden State Valkyries tonight, who sit in eighth place in the WNBA standings with an 18-18 record. They are looking to fend off the Los Angeles Sparks, who are a half-game behind them in the standings for the final playoff spot.
These two teams have faced off twice this season, and each has walked away with a victory to this point. In the previous game, Golden State produced a 10-point victory. The Wings are just 5-14 when playing at home this season, while the Valkyries are 8-11 when playing on the road. Arike Ogunbowale and JJ Quinerly remain sidelined, and Dallas is heavily leaning on its young talents of late, with its place in the standings in mind. On the season overall, the Wings rank ninth in the WNBA in scoring, 12th in opponent points allowed, 11th in net rating, 10th in turnovers, 11th in field-goal percentage and 12th in three-point percentage.
While the Valkyries also enter having dropped their previous three games, there has been more of a consistent pulse with the roster all year. Golden State’s defense has been the most consistent unit on both teams, with them ranking third in opponent points allowed and fifth in defensive rating. Their offense has been more concerning, but it still has a higher baseline than the Wings. This is an important game for the Valkyries as they hold possession of the eighth and final playoff seed with eight games remaining in the regular season. Golden State must capitalize on every winnable matchup still on the slate so expect a focused effort tonight to ensure this is the case. Count on the Valkyries to get back in the win column and cover the two-point spread tonight.
Kayla McBride to Record Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (+110)
The Minnesota Lynx will host the Indiana Fever tonight for the second straight matchup and third time this season. Napheesa Collier is expected to make her return to the floor tonight after missing the past seven games due to an ankle injury. This is great news for Kayla McBride, who has seen additional defensive attention with her offensive role scaled up without the potential WNBA MVP alongside her.
On the season, McBride is averaging 15.0 points, 3.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. The five-time All-Star is shooting 40.0% from beyond the three-point arc on 6.7 perimeter shots per game. She averages 2.7 made three-pointers per contest and has made over 2.5 three-pointers in 16 of the 32 games. This includes knocking down as many as eight made three-pointers in a game. While she shot 0-for-3 from the perimeter in the Commissioner’s Cup matchup against this Fever team, McBride shot 4-for-8 on three-pointers in Friday’s matchup.
Indiana has struggled defensively all season, ranking ninth in opponent points allowed. Teams are shooting 39% from beyond the three-point arc over its past five games, including the Lynx shooting 9-for-21 (42.9%) on Friday. Collier’s return changes the makeup of Minnesota’s offense, but the five-time All-Star is not a selfish player in her approach to the game. Count on Collier leaping back to the top of the defensive priority list from the Fever’s perspective and for McBride to benefit from the attention she sees. She has done a nice job scaling up her offensive role and has tallied over 2.5 made three-pointers in back-to-back games and three of her last five. Expect the looks to be easier to find with Collier sharing the floor, and for McBride to punish this Fever team by connecting on over 2.5 made three-pointers tonight.
Indiana Fever at Minnesota Lynx Over 167 Total Points (-112)
In Friday’s matchup between these two teams, the Lynx and Fever combined for 185 points and soared past this game total. Both teams shot above 54% from the field, and six different players poured in 15+ points. While they may not reach this sky-high total, this is a comfortable cushion to be counting on, with the previous game surpassing the 167-point total by 18 points.
Minnesota ranks number one in the WNBA in offensive rating, is tallying the most points per game at 86.4 and leads the league in both field-goal and three-point percentage. Indiana has also had no problem scoring the basketball this year, even amid Caitlin Clark’s injury absences. The Fever rank fourth in points per game, fifth in offensive rating, third in field-goal percentage and fourth in three-point efficiency. They have fallen off significantly on the defensive end, ranking ninth in opponent points per game and eighth in defensive rating on the year. Indiana has also sunk to 10th in the league in defensive rating over its past 10 games.
While the Lynx have already clinched their playoff opportunity, this is still a valuable chance to reintroduce Napheesa Collier to the lineup. With just seven games remaining until the postseason, Minnesota will be sure to focus on getting back to its peak offensive production with its star at the center of the action. Expect Collier to pick up right where she left off for the entire Lynx offense to hit another gear. Count on Minnesota leading the charge in reaching this scoring total and having a chance at cracking 100, as it has five times already this year. It is tough to see much of a path to the Fever having much success in slowing down the Lynx. But they will go down swinging and have no problem continuing to push the pace. This total is too low for my liking, and expect this pair of teams to produce over 167 points again tonight.
