Sunday's WNBA Best Bets
Joe Williams
For the remainder of the WNBA regular season through the playoffs, we'll take a look at the best Sunday bets.
The schedule for Sunday is chock full of action, and there are plenty of playoff ramifications with these games as well. Let's get started.
The New York Liberty (7-22) aren't going anywhere, but they can deal the Atlanta Dream (21-10) a big loss in early-afternoon action. The Dream continue to keep the lurking Washington Mystics (18-11) at arm's length, but Atlanta needs to keep their foot on the gas, especially against a poor side. The Dream looked sharp in the first half of their game on Saturday at home against the Dallas Wings (14-16), and rolled to a 10-point win and cover. Now they face the daunting task of a road game the following day. That's tough for any athlete. Being away from home hasn't been tough for the Dream lately, though, as they're an impressive 6-0 ATS in their past six on the road, and 7-1 ATS in their past eight games against Eastern Conference foes. However, keep in mind that they are 3-11 ATS in the past 14 outings when working on zero days of rest.
The Lib have been poor all around, going 2-6 ATS across their past eight outings overall, while cashing in just two of their past nine contests at home. New York is also 0-4 ATS in the past four against Eastern Conference teams, so they're not expected to provide much resistance against the championship-hopeful Dream. New York does have the rest factor on their side, though, and they're 4-1 ATS in their past five when working on three or more days of rest. Atlanta is also just 2-5 ATS in the past seven meetings with New York, and 2-7 ATS in the past nine trips up north to the city. The 'under' has cashed in 12 of the past 16 meetings in New York, too.
*** BEST BET ALERT: The quick turnaround aside, the Dream are a much better club than the Liberty, who are just playing out the string. Atlanta might start out a bit sluggish, but talent will take over and Atlanta should easily cover by more than two buckets. Take Atlanta (-4).
The Chicago Sky (11-19) and Connecticut Sun (17-13) battle with plenty of playoff implications, too, especially for the Sun. The Sky are mathematically still alive, but can use no further slip-ups down the stretch. Really, they're done, and it's because they can't get over the hump against the good teams. They are what they are, basically - a subpar side. Chicago is just 8-18 ATS in their past 26 against teams with a winning overall record, and they're 1-4 ATS in their past five tries against Eastern Conference foes. In addition, they haven't been able to piece together any success lately, going 1-4 ATS in their past five outings following a straight-up win.
For Connecticut, it's the opposite. They're 5-1 ATS in their past six overall, and 24-11 ATS in their past 35 against teams with an overall losing record. The trends for the total in this one are a bit confusing. The 'over' has hit in six of the past seven meetings overall, but the 'under' is 7-3 in the past 10 in the Nutmeg State (That's really Connecticut's nickname, by the way). The over is 6-2 in Chicago's past eight against the East, and the over is 4-0 in Connecticut's past four overall. However, the under is 7-3 in the Sun's past 10 after a straight-up loss, and 4-1 in their past five working on just one day of rest.
The Wings have the unenviable task of playing in Atlanta and Washington on back-to-back days. It's a difficult assignment for a team that hasn't been playing very well lately to begin with. The skidding Wings enter the contest 0-7 ATS across their past seven overall, and they're 0-7 ATS in the past seven tries against Eastern Conference clubs, too, after their loss to the Dream on Saturday. In addition, they are just 1-4 ATS in their past five when working on no rest. That doesn't bode well for them to snap out of their funk in D.C.
For the Mystics, they glide in having covered four in a row, and they're 4-1-1 ATS in their past six against teams from the Western Conference. They are also 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings with teams bring in a subpar overall record. Total bettors might want to hammer the 'under' in this one. The under is 4-1 in Dallas' past five against Eastern Conference clubs, and 5-0 in their past five against teams with an overall winning record. The under is 20-8 in Washington's past 28 against teams with a losing overall record, and the total has went under in each of the past five meetings in this series, too.
In the evening action, the Phoenix Mercury (17-14) hosts the Los Angeles Sparks (18-12) in what is normally a marquee contest. It is still an important matchup, and both clubs are expected to make the playoffs, but it's an important game for seeding. These are two teams that have had their ups and downs this season, and aren't playing very good basketball recently. Neither has been very good against the number lately, either.
Los Angeles enters just 1-4 ATS over their past five games, and they're 2-8 ATS in the past 10 against teams with an overall winning record. That makes the Merc a slam-dunk play, right? Well, Phoenix is just 2-5 ATS in the past seven against Western Conference clubs, 1-4 ATS in the past five against winning sides and 1-5 ATS in the past six home outings. In this series, L.A. has dominated against the number in recent times, going 7-2 ATS in the past nine overall, and 5-2-1 ATS in their past eight trips to the Valley of the Sun.
Total players might be the biggest beneficiaries in this one. The 'under' is the dominant trend, going 8-3 in the past 11 meetings in Phoenix, and 5-2 in the past seven meetings overall. In addition, the under is 43-20 in L.A.'s past 63 overall, and 24-11 in their past 35 inside the Western Conference. For the Merc, the under is 12-4 in their past 16 against winnings teams, and an impressive 7-3 in their past 10 at home.
*** BEST BET ALERT - PART II: The 'under' is the play in the L.A.-Phoenix battle, with the total hovering around 160. The under hit in L.A. back on May 27 between these sides with a total of 158.5, and the under cashed on Aug. 5 with a total of 161. Three's a charm here. Bang the 'under' (160) on Sunday.
The Seattle Storm (23-8) sit atop the overall WNBA standings, but they have a tough one against a wounded, but still dangerous Minnesota Lynx (17-13) side. If you go by the overall team trends, Seattle should dominate. They're 10-1 ATS in their past 11 following a non-cover, and 4-0 ATS in the past four on two days of rest. They're also 8-2 ATS in their past 10 on the road, and 12-3-1 ATS in their past 16 overall, while going 4-1 ATS in the past five against Western Conference foes. On the flip side, Minny is just 1-4 ATS in the past five at home, and 1-4 ATS in their past five against winning sides, too.
However, Minnesota has been a house of horrors for Seattle over the years, as the Storm is just 6-15 ATS in their past 21 trips to the Twin Cities. The total trends are opposites, too, as the over is 4-0 in Seattle's past four on the road, and 4-1 in their past five overall. The under dominates for the Lynx, going 13-3 in their past 16, and 4-1 in their past five at home. However, the over is 4-1 in their past five games against teams with a record of .500 or better.
BEST BETS RECORD - LAST WEEK: 0-0 (-10)
BEST BETS RECORD - SEASON: 1-1 (-10)
