The second day of the WNBA playoffs has arrived.
Day 1 featured a stunning, late-game rally from the New York Liberty to upset the No. 2 seed defending champion Chicago Sky at home. And out West, the Aces struggled mightily with the pesky Phoenix Mercury before finally pulling away late.
What will the second day of playoff basketball bring? Can the road underdog No. 5 Washington Mystics and No. 6 Dallas Wings, take a page out of the Liberty’s book and steal Game 1? Or if not, will they keep it close enough to cover the spreads?
We take a look at some of the bets to make ahead of Thursday’s action, including game lines and player props.
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook
Bet on sports with Tipico
Dallas Wings at Connecticut Sun (-9.5)
Game line bet: Wings +9.5 (-107)
This matchup between Dallas and Connecticut is the one first-round matchup that saw the lower seed get the better of the higher seed throughout the regular season. The bad news for the Wings is that they’ll be without their leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale, who was a factor in each of the three regular-season games against the Sun. But the good news is that she wasn’t the factor — each game played out differently from the others.
On the other hand, Connecticut certainly benefits from Ogunbowale’s absence. The Sun will have one less scoring threat to worry about, which makes for a stronger defense that creates better offensive opportunities going the other way.
But even without Arike, this is no walk in the park for Connecticut. Teaira McCowan, and all 6’7,” of her dominated the competition following the All-Star Break. Her size to combat Brionna and Jonquel Jones could make this an interesting matchup from start to finish.
Player prop bets: Jonquel Jones – O 8.5 rebs (-136)
For as good and physically imposing as Teaira McCowan is, Jonquel Jones is quite similar. At 6’6″, Jones has made a living on the glass, which can be seen in her 8.6, 11.2 and 9.7 rebounds per game averages over her past three seasons. Whether they’re offensive or defensive, she should have no problem cleaning the glass in Game 1.
Game Lines
Spread: Connecticut Sun -9.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Connecticut Sun (-540), Dallas Wings (+380)
Point Total: O 163.5 (-110), U 163.5 (-110)
Washington Mystics at Seattle Storm (-4.5)
Game line bet: U 158.5 Total Points (-110)
First off, how crazy is it for WNBA fans that this matchup between the Mystics and Storm is happening in the first round? I mean, superstars everywhere — Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Jewell Loyd, Natasha Cloud — crazy!
With a few roster tweaks here and there, we’re basically looking at a rematch of the 2018 WNBA Finals. But looking back at the four-year-old series is useless. Most recently, the two teams played three regular-season games which Seattle came up victorious in two of. The more important thing to take note of is how low-scoring (156, 159, 153) each matchup was.
As the game typically slows down even more during the postseason, I’d expect these two top-tier defenses to flex their muscles against one another throughout the series, which will start in Game 1.
Player prop bets: Tina Charles – O 13.5 pts (-122), Jewell Loyd – O 16.5 pts (-102)
Since Charles’ midseason arrival from Phoenix, she’s slowly worked her way into becoming a primary option for the Storm. She’s starting at center, usually playing near 30 minutes per game and taking a lot of shots while on the court. Fourteen points should be pretty easy to reach.
Jewell Loyd has had the hot hand as of late and its never a bad idea to bet on who’s hot. She won’t have 38 points as she did in the regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Aces, but more in line with the 19.0 points she averaged over five games in August. Bet on the Gold Mamba.
Game Lines
Spread: Seattle Storm -4.5 (-107)
Moneyline: Seattle Storm (-190), Washington Mystics (+155)
Point Total: O 158.5 (-110), U 158.5 (-110)
