Thursday's Best WNBA Bets
Phoenix Mercury at Los Angeles Sparks (-4, 171)
The Western Conference's top team meets its hottest team when the Mercury visit the Sparks Thursday night.
Los Angeles is rolling, winning six straight games while posting a 5-1 ATS record in that span.
The return of veteran forward Lisa Leslie has supplied the Sparks with some needed energy. And now that MVP Candace Parker appears to have her groove back, L.A.’s dominance in the paint is the backbone of a late-season push.
The Sparks have out-rebounded every opponent during this streak by an average of over 10 boards per game. In their most recent win, Los Angeles pulled down 35 rebounds with 20 of those coming from Leslie and Parker.
"I was just like, 'These girls, they can't stop us inside,"' Leslie told reporters after Tuesday’s win over Chicago. "I got a chance to really look and see where those open spots were and I was able to get back in. They weren't doing a very good job of boxing out, so I knew just keep crashing the boards."
Pick: Los Angeles
Connecticut Sun at Seattle Storm (-4.5, 144.5)
Injured Connecticut forward Asjha Jones is close to returning but will not make it back from an Achilles’ injury in time to shut down Storm forward Lauren Jackson.
The 6-foot-5 Aussie, along with reserve center Janell Burse, is a handful down low. Seattle is one of the best inside shooting teams in the WNBA, posting a field goal percentage of over 43 percent. Jackson is averaging almost 20 points and over seven rebounds per game this season.
In their most recent contest, the Sun were able to slow down the Storm’s frontcourt and held Jackson to just 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting. However, a lot of that defense came from Jones, who had two blocks and four fouls in the 64-53 Connecticut win on August 13.
Without her, the Sun face a towering Storm team that has extra motivation outside of avenging that loss two weeks ago. Seattle can clinch a playoff spot with a win Thursday and trail the Western-leading Phoenix Mercury by two games.
Pick: Seattle
DUNKEL
Phoenix at Los Angeles
The Mercury look to build on their 9-2 ATS record in their last 11 games when playing with 3 or more days of rest. Phoenix is the pick (+4) according to Dunkel, which has the Sparks favored by only 2. Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+4)
San Antonio at Indiana
Dunkel Ratings: San Antonio 108.899; Indiana 115.102
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 6; 147
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 7; 150
Dunkel Pick: San Antonio (+7); Under
Atlanta at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 112.980; Detroit 118.186
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 5; 172
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit by 3 1/2; 167 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-3 1/2); Over
Connecticut at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Connecticut 108.306; Seattle 115.739
Dunkel Line & Total: Seattle by 7 1/2; 140
Vegas Line & Total: Seattle by 4; 144
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-4); Under
Phoenix at Los Angeles
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 113.734; Los Angeles 115.867
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 2; 182
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles by 4; 171
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+4); Over
SAN ANTONIO (11 - 16) at INDIANA (19 - 7)
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 4-1 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 4-1 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA (15 - 12) at DETROIT (12 - 14)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) as an underdog this season.
ATLANTA is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
ATLANTA is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ATLANTA is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 4-2 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 3-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT (14 - 13) at SEATTLE (16 - 11)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 32-18 ATS (+12.2 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 10-1 ATS (+8.9 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 77-50 ATS (+22.0 Units) in road games since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) in road games in August or September games since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) in road games against Western conference opponents since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 39-22 ATS (+14.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 24-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 4-1 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 5-0 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX (18 - 9) at LOS ANGELES (14 - 13)
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 25-15 ATS (+8.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 25-10 ATS (+14.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 22-11 ATS (+9.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 17-9 ATS (+7.1 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 11-26 ATS (-17.6 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 5-4 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 6-3 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons