The Lynx are hosting the Mercury on Monday. Minnesota is favored by 12.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the game total set at 169.5 points.
Let’s get into my pick and prediction for this contest.
Lynx vs. Mercury Preview
The Lynx’s outstanding season continued Saturday night with a 90-85 win over the Liberty. Minnesota leads the WNBA with a 17-6 record and 10.8 net rating this season. The squad got Olivia Miles back for that win over New York after the budding star missed back-to-back games with a calf injury.
Calf injuries are always a red flag in basketball. Still, Miles looked perfectly healthy in her return, posting 23 points, five rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes of action.
Miles has been one of the best players in the WNBA in her rookie season, emerging as a legitimate MVP candidate.
The guard is averaging 18.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field and leading the league in plus/minus. She currently holds the third-highest MVP odds at +900 on DraftKings Sportsbook. This team is about to get even better, as there are rumblings that five-time All-Star Naphessa Collier (ankle) is close to making her season debut.
Collier led Minnesota with a career-high 22.9 points per game last season and finished second in MVP voting. The 29-year-old is one of the top forwards in the league, setting up a lethal combo with Miles and making the Lynx the team to beat come playoff time. With the news of her nearing a return, Minnesota is now the WNBA title favorite with +160 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook at +160. Even with her ruled out for Monday, Miles and the Lynx should have no issues in this matchup. Minnesota is already 2-0 against Phoenix, including a 34-point blowout in their last meeting on June 1.
The Mercury have been a major disappointment this season, with an 8-16 record and an 11th-place net rating. While the Lynx were getting a win on Saturday, the Mercury were getting embarrassed by the defending champion Aces — losing 106-58, the third-biggest loss in WNBA history.
Phoenix has dropped three in a row, and the team looks lost right now. Kahleah Copper is leading the team with 20.3 points per game, but she has been the only reliable scorer. Alyssa Thomas and Valeriane Ayayi both have been very up-and-down, and the Mercury struggle to put points on the board when these two aren’t playing well.
Heading into Minnesota to face the mighty Lynx, it’s hard to have any faith in Phoenix on Monday. This could easily be another lopsided affair.
Lynx vs. Mercury Pick, Best Bet
This is a pretty simple matchup. The Lynx are the best team in the league, while the Mercury are one of the worst. Minnesota should win this game by a comfortable margin.
The Lynx are a league-best 16-7 ATS, and backing them to cover this 12.5-point spread is an easy call.
