Thursday's Best WNBA Bets
New York Liberty at Tulsa Shock (+3, 163.5)
The Tulsa Shock have a long way to go, but they’re proving to be a great bet early this season.
They picked up their first win of the season last weekend by shooting 60 percent of their trey attempts in a 77-59 blowout of the Washington Mystics and then hung in there against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, dropping an 82-77 decision as a 7-point underdog.
"We just came out really flat the beginning of the second half," Shock leading scorer Tiffany Jackson told reporters. "We don't know why, we can't put our finger on it but we know that we can't do anymore of this - obviously it resulted in a loss, so we have to fix it."
Considering the Shock are 5-2 against the spread, we like where this club is heading. They could easily steal this one outright on their home floor.
Pick: Shock
Connecticut Sun at Chicago Sky (-2, 151)
WNBA lines can be tough to figure out sometimes and this one’s a good example.
The Sun just destroyed the Sky 83-68 as a 6-point favorite on Sunday and now, less than a week later, Connecticut is an underdog at Chicago. Part of that likely has to do with the fact that the home team has won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams.
If Chicago’s going to have a chance, Sylvia Fowles is probably going to have to outduel Connecticut’s Tina Charles. Fowles leads the league with 21.2 points per game while Charles is second at 20.4.
“I just had it in my mind how I played against Chicago the first time,” said Charles said about scoring just eight points against Chicago on June 10. “I personally wanted to come out and take it to them. The way that I played in that game, I didn’t feel like I was there for my teammates the way that they need me every night, so I took this game very personal.”
We’re siding with Charles and the Sun again this time.
Pick: Sun
Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky Host Connecticut Sun
By: Jeff Grant
The Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun are ready to meet for the third time this season and second time in four days when they tip Thursday night at the Allstate Arena (5:00 PT).
Chicago (3-3) is a perfect 2-0 at home this season and started the season on its home floor with a 78-75 win over Connecticut on June 10. The Sky closed as two-point favorites in that particular contest, which is the opening number for second matchup on this floor.
The Sky are led by 6-foot-6 center Sylvia Fowles, who leads the WNBA in scoring with 21.2 points per game. That average was helped by her 23-point, and 10-rebound performance in Sunday’s 83-68 defeat. She has registered five consecutive 20-point games, the longest streak in her career and also a club record.
Fowles is certainly the key ingredient for the Sky offensively, already tallying 46 points and 23 rebounds in the two meetings against the Sun this year. Many believe she pushes herself in this series due to matching up with Connecticut’s Tina Charles in the post.
“They push each other and make each other better,” Sun coach Mike Thibault stated.
Charles earned Eastern Conference player of the week honors by averaging 28.5 points on 63.2 percent shooting in two games last week. The second-year star out of UConn is hitting over 57 percent of her shots this year, an improvement from the 48.7 percent mark she registered in her rookie campaign.
She registered a season-low eight points and four rebounds in the first meeting at Allstate Arena, which ultimately led to Connecticut’s only loss of the 2011 season thus far.
Connecticut (4-1) has covered the number in three of five contests this year and is outscoring opponents by 9.4 points a contest. The team has carried over its strong play to end the 2010 campaign and is 6-2 ATS over its last eight games overall.
The Sun received outstanding play from their backcourt in the first two meetings, as Renee Montgomery poured in 22 points in game one, while Kara Lawson’s 13 points proved to be the difference in the second meeting.
It’s important to point out that despite the two squads splitting the first two meetings this year, Connecticut still holds a 13-7 all-time advantage in the series.
This is a critical early season contest for both teams, especially for the host, sitting 1.5 games back in the Eastern Conference standings behind tonight’s opponent.
Last year, the Sky was 7-15 versus conference opponents, but has tallied an even mark through six games this season. Total players will find it difficult to find an edge in this contest, but the ‘over’ is 6-2 in the last eight meetings in Chicago. This could be dangerous when finding that the first meeting on tonight’s floor went over by just a single point.
The Sky’s defense is likely to come out with plenty of energy in hopes of ending a two-game losing streak, holding its opponents to a .394 shooting percentage, second-best in the league.
NEW YORK vs. TULSA
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New York's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 6 games when playing Tulsa
Tulsa is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tulsa's last 6 games when playing New York
CONNECTICUT vs. CHICAGO
Connecticut is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Connecticut is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago's last 10 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 9 games