Tuesday's Best WNBA Bets
Washington Mystics at Minnesota Lynx (-13.5, 148.5)
The Lynx have accomplished pretty much all of their goals so far this season and could secure home-court for the playoffs with a win Tuesday. Against the Mystics, they shouldn’t have much trouble doing just that.
The Lynx have won their last five games (covering four times) by an average of 13 points and are looking like easily the best team in the league down the stretch.
A lot of that has to do with its depth. Rookie Maya Moore put up 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Minnesota’s 72-61 win over San Antonio and is a perfect example of the team’s depth.
"It's just a blessing to be on this team," Moore told reporters. "All of us have a really special situation, so I'm just excited to play well because we still have a lot of work to do."
The Mystics don’t have anything left to play for, so we’re siding with the Lynx despite this fat line.
Pick: Lynx
Seattle Storm at Los Angeles Sparks (-2.5, 143.5)
As these teams conclude a home-and-home, there is a lot on the line.
The Storm have been a different team since Lauren Jackson returned to the lineup and now look like they could make some serious noise in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Sparks still have some work to do to get into the dance, sitting 1 ½ games out of the last playoff spot in the West.
On Sunday, the Storm needed a pair of free throws from Sue Bird with 1.6 seconds to escape with a 65-63 loss as a 7.5-point favorite.
Sparks coach Jellybean Bryant wasn’t exactly pleased with the result.
"I'm not going to say what I think because I don't want to get fined," Bryant told reporters. "I thought we played great defense. It's just sad that it had to end that way because usually, you let the players make the decisions in games. So that was probably the saddest part about it."
Desperation is one thing, but 2.5-point favorites against the Storm?
Pick: Storm
Sky - Liberty Preview
By Associated Press
The New York Liberty can give themselves a more comfortable cushion in the tight Eastern Conference with a win in their next game.
A loss, on the other hand, could make things tense heading into a difficult final stretch.
The Liberty host the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night in the finale of a home-and-home series.
With five games remaining, New York (16-13) is in third place in the East, a half-game ahead of Atlanta. The Liberty will also have to hold off Chicago (14-15), which defeated them 74-73 on Sunday to move within two games of third.
The defeat was particularly heartbreaking for New York, which went on an 11-0 run to erase a 10-point deficit late in the second half. However, after Cappie Pondexter put the Liberty up two in the final minute, Epiphanny Prince responded with a 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining as Chicago held on.
The Sky's victory evened the season series at two games apiece.
The Liberty, fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, have lost two of three. Things don't get much easier after Tuesday, as they play a home-and-home set with league-leading Minnesota before hosting Indiana and visiting Connecticut - the two teams ahead of them in the standings.
"We're only a couple of games ahead of Chicago so we just need to regroup and play them better because the next few games on our schedule after that are going to be tough," coach John Whisenant said.
Whisenant is looking for a better defensive effort after the Sky shot 49.2 percent. Chicago's Erin Thorn scored 15 of her season high-tying 17 points in the second half and Sylvia Fowles added 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Fowles has recorded a double-double in eight straight games. She has two against New York this season.
The Sky have won four of five and can match their longest winning streak of the year at three Tuesday. Chicago, though, also faces a tough final stretch as it looks to earn the first playoff berth in team history.
The Sky host Indiana on Sunday before a season-ending road trip through Minnesota, Los Angeles and Seattle.
"Every game now is like a playoff game," Thorn said. "We don't want to put our destiny in another team's hands. If we win these next five games, it puts us in a great position to make the playoffs."
Chicago will certainly need a better effort than it had in its last visit to the Prudential Center on Aug. 4, when it scored one point in the fourth quarter of a 59-49 loss.
Fever - Dream Preview
By Associated Press
The Indiana Fever are on the verge of becoming the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a berth in the playoffs, where they could end up facing the Atlanta Dream in the first round.
The Dream's recent surge, however, could prevent that meeting from happening.
Indiana tries to secure a postseason spot when it closes out a home-and-home series with Atlanta on Tuesday night at Philips Arena.
The Fever (19-9) failed in their first attempt to earn a seventh straight playoff appearance Saturday, losing 86-80 to the Dream (15-13). They can get in with a win or loss by Chicago on Tuesday.
If the order of the standings stay pat, Indiana's opening-round opponent would be the Dream, who have won both games between the two this year. The clubs close out the regular season Sept. 11 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
"I think (playing Atlanta is) a great challenge for us," Katie Douglas told the Fever's official website. "I think as competitors, anybody in here would like to play them again. We're going to look at the mistakes we made and obviously try to clean them up and be ready."
Douglas and the Fever will try to get off to a better start than they did Saturday. Indiana, which leads second-place Connecticut by 1 1/2 games, trailed by 10 at the half before outscoring the Dream 29-17 in the third quarter.
Atlanta's Lindsey Harding, though, hit the go-ahead jumper with 37 seconds left and added a key late free throw.
"We dug ourselves into a hole in the first half," said Indiana coach Lin Dunn, whose team has lost two of three. "We played much better in the second. We matched their intensity in the second half. At the end of the day, Lindsey Harding was the difference."
Harding, who played all 40 minutes, scored seven of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. Atlanta shot 55 percent and topped the 80-point mark for the seventh straight game.
Offense has powered the Dream's hot play of late, as Atlanta has won seven of nine to pull within a half-game of third-place New York. It is 1 1/2 games ahead of the Sky for the final postseason spot.
While the Dream have had little trouble scoring, they've also given up at least 80 points in four consecutive games. Each of their last five contests have been decided by fewer than 10 points.
"We've had lots of games like this, so we are ready for the pressure and how to take care of the game when it's on the line," forward Angel McCoughtry said.
McCoughtry is perhaps the biggest reason why Atlanta is in position to move up in the standings. She scored 20 points Saturday to reach the mark for the fifth straight time and is second in the league with 20.4 points per game.
Atlanta has won its last four at home against Indiana.
Mystics - Lynx Preview
By Associated Press
After locking up the top spot in the Western Conference, rookie sensation Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx have just one more regular-season goal to attain.
With a win over the Washington Mystics and some help Tuesday night, the Lynx can secure the league's best record and home-court advantage throughout the WNBA Finals.
Seimone Augustus scored 20 points and Moore added 19 as Minnesota (23-6) posted its fifth straight victory, 72-61 over San Antonio on Sunday. Moore, selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, has proven to be the difference maker for a Lynx team that failed to reach the postseason in each of the previous six seasons.
"Just her maturity, people expect a lot from her," Augustus said of Moore, who also had a season-best 12 rebounds for her first double-double. "She spoiled everyone with what she did in college, and she's come in and been everything that we've needed."
While Moore continues to excel in her first season in the league, she likely won't be content with anything less than a WNBA title.
The Lynx can increase their chances of accomplishing that feat by earning the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs with a victory in this matchup and an Indiana loss to Atlanta. Minnesota won two of three versus East-leading Fever and owns the tiebreaker should the teams finish with the same record.
"It's just a blessing to be on this team," said Moore, who went 150-4 with two NCAA tournament titles in her four years with the Connecticut Huskies. "All of us have a really special situation, so I'm just excited to play well because we still have a lot of work to do."
Minnesota has outscored opponents by an average of 13.0 points during its five-game winning streak - a run that started with an 81-62 victory at Washington last Thursday.
The Mystics (5-23), losers of eight straight, are one loss away from matching their longest skid in almost three seasons. They concluded their 2008 campaign with nine straight defeats - tied for the third-longest losing streak in team history.
Crystal Langhorne, the league's fourth-leading scorer with 18.9 points per game, continues to be the lone bright spot for Washington. She had 27 points and 12 rebounds, but the Mystics couldn't rally from a 22-point deficit during Sunday's 86-79 loss to Phoenix.
"When you're starting down 10 points, that's a killer trying to fight back the entire game," she said.
The Mystics, who have dropped five straight and an Eastern Conference-worst 11 of 13 on the road, won't be part of the postseason for the first time in three years. With the season winding down, Langhorne's goal is to "to keep playing hard, to get better as a unit. Working on things for next season and getting better."
Sun - Silver Stars Preview
By Associated Press
Six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon continues to come up short for a San Antonio Silver Stars team on the verge of its longest losing streak in nearly six seasons.
Hammon and the Silver Stars look to avoid a seventh consecutive defeat when they host the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.
Two days after missing all eight shots and failing to score at WNBA-leading Minnesota, Hammon - first on the team and tied for 11th in the league with 15.3 points per game - recorded nine on 1-of-12 shooting as San Antonio (13-15) lost 72-61 on Sunday to conclude a home-and-home set with the Lynx.
Hammon has scored 8.2 points per game over her last five while shooting 22.2 percent from the floor.
Since defeating Connecticut 72-59 on Aug. 11, the Silver Stars have dropped six straight while averaging 68.0 points - 8.8 less than their season mark. They haven't lost seven in a row since closing the 2005 season on a franchise record-tying nine-game skid.
Despite the recent struggles, Hammon remains confident in San Antonio's ability to turn things around.
"We've been through a rough patch, no doubt. I think we just have to find a way to get there mentally," she said. "Everybody's tired at this point in the season. ... We're gonna get the monkey off our back, we just have to stay strong in our belief, in yourself and in one another.
"These things happen in professional sports, but we're gonna get back on track on Tuesday."
San Antonio continues to cling to the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, sitting 1 1/2 games ahead of Los Angeles.
"I mean, big-picture situation, our season is to be determined," coach Dan Hughes said. "They have ownership in that. It's not an easy thing. You're fighting some momentum that's going the other way. The only way you make a change is by yourself and taking ownership of it and going forward."
While the Sun (18-11) have all but locked up a postseason berth in the East for the first in three seasons, they're coming off an unlikely defeat, 83-72 at league-worst Tulsa on Sunday.
Tina Charles posted her 19th double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but she was held scoreless in the fourth quarter as Connecticut suffered its third straight road loss.
The Sun, who find themselves 1 1/2 games behind East-leading Indiana, host the Fever on Friday night.
Mercury - Shock Preview
By Associated Press
While Sheryl Swoopes will likely go down as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, no one thought much of her return to the league following a two-year hiatus.
The four-time champion and three-time MVP, however, clearly still has something left in the tank.
Seeking a third straight win for the first time since relocating, the Shock try and avoid a seventh consecutive defeat to the visiting Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night.
After making the winning jumper with 2.9 seconds remaining at Los Angeles to snap Tulsa's WNBA-record 20-game losing streak Friday, Swoopes stepped up again, recording a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds during Sunday's 83-72 win over Connecticut.
"Everyone who played contributed to this win, everyone," Swoopes said. "To get a home win for our crowd was great. They have supported us throughout the losing streak."
The Shock (3-25) haven't won three straight since Sept. 1-6, 2009, when they played in Detroit. They have limited teams to an average of 73.5 points during their back-to-back victories - 8.1 less than their season mark.
"The first one was sweet and all but I think this one is even better because it came in front of our fans," interim coach Teresa Edwards said. "We're starting to turn the corner. Our confidence is up and we're not going to base our team on what anybody else (opponent) is thinking. We'll do our best."
With its brutal losing stretch in the past, Tulsa now tries to end its skid in this series. The Shock have dropped six straight to the Mercury (16-12) by 22.3 points per game - including a 102-63 defeat July 10 during which Swoopes was held scoreless in 17 minutes.
Phoenix avoided matching a season-worst third straight loss by defeating Washington 86-79 on the road Sunday. Forward Candice Dupree scored a season-high 27 points and Diana Taurasi added 21.
The Mercury led by as many as 22 before letting up a bit over the final 10 minutes.
"We talked before the game about getting off to a quick start, making sure we were fluid on both ends of the court. It worked," Dupree said. "We kind of let slip a little bit in the fourth quarter, but a win is a win. We definitely needed it."
Taurasi, who leads the league with 21.2 points per game, has recorded eight straight 20-point efforts - a season high.
Phoenix, which concludes its current four-game trek Thursday at San Antonio, is third in the Western Conference, three games ahead of the fourth-place Silver Stars. Phoenix, however, can't afford to overlook Tulsa before that matchup, especially given the Shock's new-found confidence.
"Even though we can't make the playoffs, we feel like we can impact other teams getting to the playoffs," Tulsa forward Tiffany Jackson said. "Once you get that first one, it's mental, you think you can win them all."
Phoenix ranks first in the WNBA with an average of 89.9 points but is also surrendering a league-high 86.8 per game.
The Mercury can clinch a postseason berth with a victory and a Los Angeles loss to Seattle.
Storm - Sparks Preview
By Associated Press
The defending champion Seattle Storm, undefeated since Lauren Jackson returned from injury, find themselves on the verge of an eighth consecutive postseason appearance.
The Los Angeles Sparks aren't in nearly as good a position as they continue to fight for their playoff lives.
The Storm look to extend their mastery of the Sparks as the teams conclude a home-and-home set Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Jackson scored 14 points and Sue Bird made two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining as Seattle (17-12) defeated Los Angeles 65-63 on Sunday.
"Those free throws for any player at the end of the game can be tough. It's just you and the basket," Bird said. " ... I'll take a win any way I can get it."
Seattle has been finding ways lately, winning a season-best four straight since Jackson returned from a torn hip labrum. The Storm need one victory to secure a postseason berth.
They have gone 9-1 in the last 10 meetings with Los Angeles, including a two-game sweep during the conference semifinals last season. However, despite leading the season series 2-1, Seattle recorded its lowest point total of the year during its most recent visit to Los Angeles, falling 74-50 on June 19.
That result, along with the chance to clinch a playoff berth amid a difficult season, means the Storm probably won't be taking the Sparks lightly.
"There's tons of things we can do better," guard Tanisha Wright said. "Everyone is playing for their playoff lives. They have too many good players - you can't afford to relax."
While there was surely a feeling of optimism in Seattle's locker room following the victory Sunday, Los Angeles coach Joe Bryant wasn't pleased.
"I'm not going to say what I think because I don't want to get fined," Bryant said. "I thought we played great defense. It's just sad that it had to end that way because usually, you let the players make the decisions in games. So that was probably the saddest part about it."
The Sparks' inability to pick up ground on fourth-place San Antonio was likely also upsetting. The Sparks are 1 1/2 games behind the Silver Stars for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
After scoring a season-low seven points during a 77-75 loss to Tulsa on Friday, Candace Parker bounced back with 19 points and a season-best 14 rebounds. Guard Ticha Penicheiro added 15 points and 10 boards.
Following this contest, the Sparks (12-17) play at Phoenix on Saturday before a highly anticipated home matchup with San Antonio next Tuesday.
Seattle has lost three straight on the road.
CHICAGO vs. NEW YORK
Chicago is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
New York is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
New York is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
INDIANA vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Atlanta is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
WASHINGTON vs. MINNESOTA
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Washington is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
CONNECTICUT vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing San Antonio
San Antonio is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games when playing Connecticut
PHOENIX vs. TULSA
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tulsa
Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Tulsa is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tulsa's last 10 games when playing at home against Phoenix
SEATTLE vs. LOS ANGELES
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Seattle is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games
Los Angeles is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games