WNBA EDITION 8/15
PHOENIX MERCURY @ CHICAGO SKY – 5:00PM
The Mercury start their playoff push tonight in Chicago as they are set to take on the Sky for the first time this season. Both of these teams are in the playoff picture with the Mercury currently ranked 6th and the Sky ranked 8th in the standings (WNBA just takes the top 8 teams based on record into the playoffs regardless of conference). The Sky are led by Chennedy Carter who is 13th in the WNBA in scoring this season with 17.2 points per game. They also feature one of the top Rookie of the Year candidates in Angel Reese who is a double double threat any time she takes the court. Reese is currently 2nd in the WNBA in rebounding with 11.9 boards per game and will be a menace on the glass in this matchup (Sky rank 1st as a team in rebounds per game and Mercury rank 11th). The Mercury are led by their All Star and Gold Medal trio of Diana Taurasi, Britney Griner, and Kahleah Copper and this game in particular should take on more significance for Copper. This will be the first time that she will get to face her old team since being traded to Phoenix over the offseason. As a scorer she is having the best season of her career with the Mercury. She is currently number 2 in the WNBA in scoring with 23.2 points per game and that average is over 5 points more per game than her previous career high scoring average last season with the Sky (18.7 ppg). Over the last 5 games leading up to the All Star break Copper averaged 26.2 points per game. One other thing to keep in mind is the trade that the Chicago Sky made about a month ago just before the break. They sent their starting guard Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun for a few draft picks and guards Moriah Jefferson and Rachel Banham. Jefferson, who is the better player of those two will not be in this game tonight as she is still working her way back from an ankle injury so the Sky will be even more short handed from a talent standpoint than normal at the guard position which should create more opportunities on the offense for Copper and the other Mercury guards. Count on Copper to lead the charge today in Chicago against her old team with another strong scoring effort.
The Pick: Kahleah Copper OVER 22.5 Points
NEW YORK LIBERTY @ LOS ANGELES SPARKS – 6:00PM
The Sparks kick off the final month of their regular season play tonight at home in what is basically a David versus Goliath matchup against the best team in the WNBA the New York Liberty. These teams played back to back games in New York in June and the Liberty won both matchups pretty easily by 10 points or more. The Liberty enter this game as an 11.5 point favorite and rightfully so. They are led by Gold Medalists and WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu who are each averaging over 19 points per game this season. The rest of their starting five is rounded out by 3 all star caliber players in Jonquel Jones, Courtney Vandersloot, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. The Liberty have been able to overwhelm opposing defenses all season with just the shear amount of talent they have on the court at the same time. Any one of their five starters when healthy can get tons of open looks and lead that team in scoring on any given night. Meanwhile the Sparks have a 6-18 record this season which is bottom 3 in the WNBA. Four out of their six wins came at home and two of those wins were against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces so it is totally possible LA could put up a fight in this matchup. I see a bit more value in betting on player props instead of the outcome of this game with both teams coming off the long layoff. Los Angeles forward Dearica Hamby is the Sparks best player and the foundation of their offensive game plan. She has averaged over 19 points off 14 field goal attempts and 5 free throw attempts per game this season. She scored 20 points in the last game these teams played back on June 22nd and she averaged over 22 points per game in the final five games of the regular season before the AllStar/Olympics break. Look for Hamby to score as she regains her regular season form at home tonight against the Liberty.
The Pick: Dearica Hamby 20+ Points
OTHER BETS TO CONSIDER:
Angel Reese 12+ Rebounds
Kamilla Cardoso 8+ Rebounds
Natasha Cloud 6+ Assists
Kahleah Copper 2+ Made Threes
Napheesa Collier 20+ Points
Napheesa Collier 10+ Rebounds
Breanna Stewart 20+ Points
Jonquel Jones 8+ Rebounds
Jonquel Jones 4+ Assists
Sabrina Ionescu 3+ Made Threes
LONG SHOT PARLAY:
3 Legs +3285 Odds
Kahleah Copper 25+ Points
Jonquel Jones 6+ Assists
Dearica Hamby 20+ Points
A $5 Wager wins $164.25