Four games in the WNBA for Sunday, with a good one in Connecticut, while we’ll look at one of the last games as the New York Liberty (5-4) visits the Phoenix Mercury (5-5).
New York at Phoenix Betting Odds
The Mercury are now favored by 4.5 points after opening as 3.5-point favorites, while the total has held pretty steady at 162.5. Phoenix is -200 on the moneyline at FanDuel.
New York Liberty
.After a fast start to the season the Liberty have come back down to earth a bit, having lost their last three games and now sit at 5-4 on the season. The team’s record may be a little misleading, however, as the combined record of the team’s they’ve beaten are 15-39, with two of those wins against 1-11 Indiana. The record of the team’s they’ve lost to 23-16.
New York has had a lengthy layoff, having last played on June 5 and will now play five games in nine days. New York is scoring 81.7 points and allowing 84.8, with Betnijah Laney leading the team in scoring with 20.8 points per game and Natasha Howard is second, with the former Seattle Storm forward averaging 14.5 points. Last year’s No. 1 draft pick, Sabrina Ionescu is chipping in with 13.7 points per game.
.
Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury are 5-4 on the season, but have struggled at home so far, which is a bit of a surprise, as Phoenix has typically been tough at home, where they enjoy decent support. The team dropped its last two games at home against Dallas, with the last one being pretty ugly.
The Mercury are scoring 78.2 points and allowing 80.4 and will need to get more from its bench today, as Britney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith are being asked to carry the load in the absence of Diana Turasi. Diggins-Smith has done a solid job at point guard, but depth has been an issue at times for the Mercury, who need somebody like Brianna Turner to play to her potential. When you shoot 56.2% from the field lifetime in the WNBA you should be scoring more than 5.7 points a game.
New York at Phoenix Pick
Going strictly by the numbers in this one, as I have Phoenix winning 84-75, so will take a shot on the Mercury and the lay the 4.5. Griner should have a big game inside for the Mercury and should pose some matchup problems as she’s five inches taller than anybody on the Liberty roster.