Sports Picks & Predictions

Seattle is coming off a loss at Minnesota on Sunday to fall three games under .500 for the season and it currently sits in seventh place in the WNBA playoff standings. The Storm have done a good job on their home floor where they are 8-6 but they are just 2-7 on the road which is only one win more than the worst team in the league. Those nine games played on the highway are the fewest of any team so the schedule has been set up in their favor but they are now part of a brutal stretch where nine of their last 12 games are on the road. They have lost six of seven games as road underdogs. Dallas meanwhile is also three games under .500 but sits a spot below Seattle based on percentage and a win here would leapfrog the Wings into the seventh slot. Dallas has lost two straight games, both coming on the road, as it looks to snap a four-game ATS losing streak tonight as well. Dallas has won five of its last six home games and the host has gone 9-1 over its last 10 games overall. Revenge can play a big role in these situations and the Wings will be out to avenge a pair of losses against Seattle this season, one at home by 20 points and the other in Seattle by 16 points two games back. In the win last Friday, Jewell Loyd scored 27 points and Breanna Stewart added 20 as the Storm set a franchise record by making 61.5 percent of its shots which only adds fuel to the fire. Dallas avoid the season series sweep with a victory tonight. 10* (660) Dallas Wings

This is the fourth of five straight road games for New York and it has won the last two games following a loss against Minnesota to open the roadtrip. The Liberty are now 12-10 overall and are sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference, a game and a half behind Washington and Connecticut. They were 3-6 on the highway prior to these two most recent wins and while they are playing the worst team in the WNBA, they are laying the most points they have layed on the road and the second most overall. New York was favored by 13 points in the first meeting at home while failing to cover that number and based on the venue change, it should be favored by seven points max so we are catching value here. The Stars have struggled to a 3-21 start to the season but are a much more respectable 12-12 against the number and they are one of only six teams in the league that are .500 or better ATS. They have lost three straight games including a defeat at Phoenix on Sunday where they had just six assists in the game, almost 11 less than their per game average. They are 2-4 straight up and ATS in their last six home games and all four losses came against teams with better records than New York yet are catching more points tonight than they were in two of those. 10* (652) San Antonio Stars

We won with Connecticut in its last game played as it rolled over Chicago by 21 points as a seven-point favorite and now it is laying five points more against a team that has the same record as the Sky. The Sun have enjoyed a great turnaround to their season as they are 13-5 over their last 18 games after a 0-4 start but they are now laying a number that is reserved for the elite teams and they are not part of that group. This is just the second time all season they have layed double-digits and they failed to cover the first time against 3-20 San Antonio. It has been a tough July for the Fever as they look to close out the month with a win and put an end to their 1-8 record for the month. They have dropped both games since the All-Star Break but they have been competitive in doing so as they lost those two games by three points combined so while frustrated, they are still playing with energy. All is not lost for Indiana as despite being 8-15, it is just 2.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the league. The Fewer have covered three of their last four games, the lone spread loss came in the second of back-to-back no rest road games. 10* (625) Indiana Fever

Chicago is having a huge turnaround as it closed the first half of the WNBA season with five wins over its last six games including impressive road victories over Minnesota and Los Angeles as a double-digit underdog. Overall, the Sky have covered nine of 11 games on the road and for the season, the home team is just 5-16 ATS in their 21 games. That points to a play on Chicago here but we will be going the contrarian route against that as the time off because of the All-Star Break hurt any sort of positive momentum it had going. Connecticut also is having a big turnaround and its run has been longer as after a 0-4 start, the Sun have gone 12-5 over their last 17 games and are tied with Washington atop the Eastern Conference. They are coming off a bad loss against New York in their last game before the break as they lost by 16 points as a slight road favorite. They return home where they are 5-3 but the favorite playing at Mohegan Sun Arena is 7-1 straight up and 6-2 against the number. The lone straight up loss as a favorite came in the season opener against Atlanta which also resulted in an ATS loss while the other non-cover came against San Antonio when they were favored by 14.5 points and won by 14 points. While the Sky are on a big roll against the number, the Sun are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (606) Connecticut Sun

Indiana is coming off a rare road win last night as it defeated Phoenix but was fortunate to catch a Mercury team without Brittney Griner and it showed as Phoenix had no inside presence. The Fever are now playing a rare back-to-back as this is just the seventh occurrence this season of a team playing with no rest with the previous six going 2-4 straight up and ATS. Indiana is just 3-7 on the road with two of those wins coming against Chicago and this is just the third time it has been listed as a road favorite, splitting the first two. San Antonio has won only two games this season but both have come in the last six games and one of those happened to come against Indiana. That puts the Fever in a revenge situation but that is negated with the no rest spot and not only that but this will be their third game in four days in three different time zones. San Antonio heads home after coughing up a double-digit lead in the first half and falling to the Dream 88-75 on Tuesday. The Stars are limping into the All-Star Break without the services of guard Kayla McBride who remains questionable with an ankle sprain. The Stars have covered four of their last five games following an ATS loss while the Fever are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (618) San Antonio Stars

This is the final game before the All-Star Break for both Dallas and Minnesota and while the Lynx are clearly the class of the league. This is a bigger game for Dallas. The Wings can get back to the .500 mark with a victory here and while they will be out for the victory, our concern is just the cover and they are catching a very big number here. They won their last game on Sunday in double-overtime against Chicago and that was a big confidence-boosting win as Dallas moved to 6-3 over its last nine games. Minnesota is coming off a home-and-home sweep against Phoenix and neither game was close but the Lynx caught a break with Brittney Griner getting hurt in the first game while she and Diana Taurasi were both out in the rematch on Sunday. Minnesota is 7-1 at home but is outscoring opponents by just 9.0 ppg which is certainly considered dominant but not close enough to warrant laying these double-digit numbers on a constant basis. Dallas is 5-1 ATS this season when getting seven or more points while going 2-0 ATS on the road against teams with a winning record. Meanwhile, Minnesota is 0-3 ATS at home against teams with a losing record while going 0-3-2 ATS when favored by more than 12 points. 10* (611) Dallas Wings

Seattle concludes its first half of the season tonight against Chicago. The Storm will be looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since late May and reach .500 at the All-Star break. They have gone 0-5 straight up and against the number in their last five games following a win and four of those games they were favored. Also, four of those follow up losses came on their home floor. Seattle has surprisingly struggled against what is considered the weaker Eastern Conference as it has gone 1-7 in its last eight games against teams from the east, failing to cover any of those games. Chicago had a three-game winning streak snapped against Dallas on Sunday as it lost in double-overtime after having control much of the game. The Sky conclude their first half on Thursday at 14-5 Los Angeles so this is a game they need to take even though they are heavy underdogs. Chicago started the season 1-7 as it was trying to transition into a new roster and it has been playing much better since coming together as a team. Chicago has covered five of its last seven road games and is 7-3 ATS on the road for the season. 10* (605) Chicago Sky

We lost with this matchup four days ago as Chicago won its second straight game and then followed that up with a win at New York on Friday. The Sky have been an improving team but now play their third game in five days with travel taking place between all games so the situation gets even more difficult today. In that meeting on Wednesday, Dallas was held to 39.2 percent shooting and allowed Chicago to make 12 of 25 three-pointers and the Wings were done in by a poor third quarter in which they were outscored 32-13. Additionally, center Courtney Paris is coming off her worst game since she returned from a knee injury. She was credited for one point and two rebounds in 11:17 on Wednesday. Dallas has still won five of its last eight games including three of four at home and on the season, it has won three of four games at home when favored. This is the last home game prior to the All-Star Break and the Wings close the first half with a game at Minnesota so this a big game to avoid what could be a big losing skid before the second half. The Sky are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Wings are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss. 10* (674) Dallas Wings

It has been a disappointing run and a disappointing season overall so far for Seattle after coming in with huge expectations. The season is far from lost however but it must take advantage of these spots at home especially with a five-game roadtrip looming after this homestand is completed prior to the All-Star Break. The Storm lost to Connecticut in their last game to fall to 1-2 on this homestand but they look to make it three straight wins following a loss after tonight. This is a revenge game as well as Seattle lost at home here to Atlanta in overtime a month ago as a nine-point favorite so that also brings the value of this into play as they are laying a much shorter number tonight. Atlanta was picked to be one of the worst teams in the WNBA and it has played better than expected but the road has been its issue. The Dream are 1-6 over their last seven road games, the one win coming here as mentioned, and only two of those losses have been games where they have been in striking distance late. After a 4-1 starts, Atlanta is 4-8 over its last 12 games overall and going back, the Dream are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a losing straight up record. Meanwhile, the Storm are 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 games following a straight up loss. 10* (668) Seattle Storm

We played against Chicago on Wednesday and it put together an improbable third quarter where it outscored Dallas by 19 points and the rest is history. It was the first time this season that the Sky have won consecutive games with the first win coming against Minnesota at home in a big upset. They hit the road where they have not been terrible as they are 3-5 but those wins came against San Antonio and Atlanta twice, two teams with losing records. New York is back home following a disappointing 1-3 roadtrip and overall it has lost four of its last five games. The Liberty are now 8-8 overall and are just a game and a half out of first place in the Eastern Conference where five teams are separated by just three games. They average 82.4 ppg at MSG where they are 5-3 but on the road, New York averages just 75.3 ppg and is 3-5 so this is the spot for a bounce back. This is the first home game this season against a team that comes in with a losing record and thus far, New York has won four of its five home games when favored and overall, the favorite is 12-4 in its 16 games on the season. 10* (664) New York Liberty

Connecticut has taken over the lead in the Eastern Conference thanks to a five-game winning streak which included a road win yesterday in Seattle. The Sun are now in the rare situation of playing back-to-back games in as many days as this is just the fifth occurrence of no rest in the league this season. Los Angeles was one of those previous four teams and it was able to win in Phoenix which came after a loss in Dallas. The Sparks have been off since Saturday which happened to be a loss in Seattle and they are now a full two games behind Minnesota in the Western Conference. That was their second straight defeat with the first coming in Minnesota but they head back home where they are 7-0 and this marks the start of a four-game homestand. Home teams are winning at a 62.1 percent clip this season which is about average and that makes the home court point situation right at three per game. That actually gives the lone remaining undefeated home team the advantage and we can also base that on venue change as the Sparks were a 2.5-point favorite two weeks ago in Connecticut which would make them an 8.5-point favorite here but we are not seeing that, at least early on. 10* (660) Los Angeles Sparks

**12:30 PM ET Start** We played against Dallas on Sunday as Atlanta avenged a loss four days prior but we will be backing the Wings today as they look to snap a four-game slide in this series. Dallas is now 4-5 on the road and it has been an up and down journey as two wins came against Phoenix and Washington so the Wings have brought their A game when needed. They may not need their A game today but a loss here would knock them two games under .500 so there will be plenty of motivation. While Dallas has lost four straight games to the Sky, this is not the same team. It has been a massive struggle for Chicago as it came into the season in rebuilding mode and it has not done much to prove that wrong. The Sky are coming off the biggest upset in the WNBA this season as they defeated Minnesota by 24 points as a 14.5-point underdog and that spells letdown. They failed to back up their other three wins this season with a follow up win as they dropped those three games by 15, 8 and 34 points. Chicago is 0-4 ATS at home this season against teams with a losing record while Dallas won and covered both games as a road favorite. Chicago could also be short-handed today as guard Cappie Pondexter is questionable with a concussion. 10* (653) Dallas Wings

We won with Dallas in this matchup on Wednesday as it rolled to a 10-point win in what was a revenge situation with the Wings looking to avenge the three-game sweep from last season. On top of that, they were looking to bounce back from a 20-point loss at home against Seattle and now they take to the road where they have won two straight but the revenge scenario goes the other way this time. The Dream are coming off a much needed win against Indiana on Friday which was a big victory for confidence following a 2-7 run that featured some poor defense. Both teams are up tempo and while that hurt Atlanta in the last meeting, it has played much better defensively on its home floor. Atlanta also has positive injury news that affected that last meeting as well. The Dream are expected to have forward Sancho Lyttle back in the lineup on Sunday. Lyttle, who just returned from international play, took an elbow to the nose against Dallas on Wednesday and was limited to 10 minutes and then missed the Indiana game. Dallas has failed to cover all four games as an underdog of four points or less and that run continues on Sunday. 10* (622) Atlanta Dream

Despite two straight losses, Washington is still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and the Mystics are in a spot tonight where a win could increase their lead but a loss would actually move them into second place. They are coming off losses to Los Angeles and Phoenix as they have struggled against the west as they are 3-7 against the Western Conference but they are a perfect 7-0 against the Eastern Conference. It has been an up and down season for Connecticut which opened the season 1-5 before going on a five-game winning streak. The Sun then dropped two straight but have bounced back to win their last three games to move within a half-game of Washington in the conference standings. They have been a covering machine with a 12-4 ATS mark, the best record in the league. It looks as though the linesmakers have caught up as they have been favored in three straight games after being the underdog in eight of their first 13 games. While this is the fourth straight games of laying chalk, this is by far the biggest test and this line could do some moving the other way before tipoff. 10* (615) Washington Mystics

This is the first meeting of the season between Minnesota and Los Angeles and it gives the Lynx the first opportunity for some payback following their WNBA Finals loss from last season. Minnesota has had this game circled since last October when the Sparks won the best-of-five series by taking two games in Minnesota including the series clincher by a point on a very controversial call. While they are claiming this is just another regular season game, there is bitterness still from the end of that series from over eight months ago. The Lynx have just one loss this season and have pretty much dominated the opposition in their wins as they have outscored opponents by an average of nearly 12 ppg. Los Angeles is playing the best basketball in the league right now as it has won eight straight games while covering its last five but this is obviously the biggest test of the season. The Sparks are 5-3 both straight up and against the number on the road including a 1-1 record against winning teams. Minnesota is a perfect 4-0 ATS this season when favored by seven points or less. 10* (608) Minnesota Lynx

Dallas remains home following a 20-point loss against Seattle on Saturday as a slight favorite to fall to 4-5 at College Park Center. The Wings had won four straight games prior to that which included impressive victories over Washington and Connecticut. Atlanta defeated New York in its last game as a home underdog which snapped a three-game losing streak but that came at home and the Dream have lost four of their last five games on the road with three of those coming by double-digits. Atlanta and Dallas are second and third respectively in possessions per games, averaging a combined 161.6 per contest and this favors the Wings in a fast-paced game as the Dream score the third-fewest points per 100 possessions in the WNBA. The Wings offense (84.1 ppg) will put pressure on the Atlanta defense as four players, led by Skylar Diggins-Smith, score in double figures. Dallas also has a big edge at the free throw line where it is shooting 82.3 percent compared to just 71.5 percent for Atlanta. The Wings are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following an ATS loss while the Dream are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (602) Dallas Wings

Both Washington and Los Angeles are playing at a high level and it is up to the Mystics to try and get things together when facing the Western Conference. Washington is 7-0 against the east but it just 3-5 against the opposing conference with three of those losses coming against the top two teams by double-digits. That includes a loss here in Los Angeles by 10 points in the second game of the season but the Mystics are a different team now as they were still trying to get their new roster worked out. The Sparks meanwhile have won seven straight games and trail Minnesota in the Western Conference by 1.5-games. They have a couple wins over Phoenix during this streak but other than that, the level of competition has been pretty low. Los Angeles is undefeated at home which is pushing this line higher than it should be as it has already risen since opening and it has covered just half of those games at the Staples Center. overall, the Sparks are 5-6 ATS when favored by five or more points and going back, the Mystics are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 road games. 10* (671) Washington Mystics

We waited this one out and it worked in our favor as Dallas opened as a 1.5-point favorite and it has been driven up to 4.5 points as of late Saturday morning. The Wings have won four straight games including an impressive win at Washington but two of those wins also came against San Antonio which did not pick up its first win of the season until just last night. Dallas is 4-4 at home which is nothing special and will be catching a very motivated Seattle team tonight. The Storm made a playoff push last season for their first postseason berth since 2013 and this season, got off to a 4-1 start but they have struggled of late. They have dropped three straight and six of their last seven games but the majority of those losses have been close and come down to the final minutes. This is an extremely talented team that is better than its 6-8 record shows and while it is just 1-5 on the road, the opposition has been pretty tough. Their only two wins since the 4-1 start have come against San Antonio and that is a big reason this line has gone to where it is. In comparison, the Storm were getting the same number at Washington on Tuesday and the Mystics are one of the best teams in the league. We grab the value tonight with an outright win far from out of the question. 10* (669) Seattle Storm

This is the first meeting between Minnesota and Phoenix since the Lynx swept the Mercury in the WNBA Semifinals last season so there is the revenge factor coming into tonight. Minnesota has lost just one game this season which wax an inexplicable loss at home against Connecticut so it comes into this game with a perfect record on the road. The Lynx are 6-0 on the highway with five of those wins coming by 14 points or more so they are installed as big road favorites for a legitimate reason. The Mercury will have something to say about that however as they are coming off a big road win at Seattle. They are 3-2 in their last five road games with the two losses each coming by just a bucket and while this is the biggest test thus far, there is plenty of motivation. On top of the playoff sweep, Phoenix has lost nine straight meetings in this series which is playing a big part in this Mercury home underdog line. Additionally, they have added to their roster by bringing in Angel Robinson, who recently finished a commitment playing for Montenegro in the 2017 FIBA EuroBasket Championships while trading for Monique Currie from the San Antonio Stars. They have had a week off to gel and the offense will be much more balanced and efficient moving forward. 10* (666) Phoenix Mercury

**12:30 PM ET Start** Chicago is sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference at 3-10 and surprisingly, the troubles have come at home. The Sky are a very respectable 3-4 on the road with those four losses coming against Minnesota, Washington, Los Angeles and Phoenix which are a combined 37-14. At home however, they are 0-6 and have failed to cover all six of those games and that schedule has been far from easy as well. One of those losses came against Indiana back on June 18 which brings in a quick turnaround revenge spot. Indiana has just one road win which happened to come here and while it is safe to say it is the better of the two teams, that really may not be the case. The Fever are just three games better but are getting outshot from the floor by close to five percent including eight percent from long range while Chicago is actually outshooting its opponents from both two and three-point range. The Sky clearly miss Elena Delle Donne but this is a talented roster with four double-digit scorers that is underachieving. The first home win takes place this afternoon. 10* (656) Chicago Sky

The Sparks hit the road for the second game of their three-game roadtrip and they are playing their best basketball of the season with five straight wins. This includes a pair of wins over Phoenix and most recently, they beat Indiana 87-73 on Saturday as Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 21 points while Candace Parker had 18 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Many will ride this streak but we will be fading it, especially with this line that seems too good to be true for the overall better team. Connecticut was playing its hoops of the season as it was riding a five-game winning streak but went to Dallas on Saturday and got upended by 14 points to once again even its record at 6-6. That was tied for its worst loss of the season and playing Los Angeles would seem to put them in position for another big loss but this line is telling us different. Based on records and past history, the Sparks should be bigger favorites here so we will see the majority of the betting public backing the road team. However, Connecticut has lost half of its games by two points and all of those came on the road while they also own a road win over Minnesota by five points which is the only loss of the season for the Lynx. Going back, the Sparks are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games following an ATS win while the Sun are 19-7-2 ATS in their last 28 games following a straight up loss. 10* (654) Connecticut Sun

New York returns home following a 1-1 split on its recent roadtrip and going back, it has won five of its last six games. The one loss is important here as it took place in Connecticut where the Liberty lost by 20 points so this is a quick turnaround revenge situation. They are 5-2 at home with the two losses coming against Los Angeles and Minnesota, the two best teams in the WNBA. The Liberty announced Thursday that Epiphanny Prince had returned from her overseas commitments and will rejoin the team which is a big deal after she has missed the last six games. Connecticut has won four straight games after a 1-5 start so it too is playing at a high level right now. The Sun are coming off an upset win at Minnesota last time out, handing the Lynx their first loss of the season but being a week ago, that momentum has been lost. Still, we go the contrarian route here as Connecticut is a perfect 6-0 ATS on the road and that is being taken into consideration with this line which is off by a bucket. New York meanwhile is a perfect 5-0 ATS when favored by fewer than five points. 10* (606) New York Liberty

Something has to give tonight between Indiana and Chicago as they meet for the first time this season. The Fever come in at 0-5 on the road while the Sky come in at 0-4 at home so one of these winless records will be broken on Sunday. We won with Indiana in its last game on Thursday as it defeated Atlanta at home and the host is now 10-1 in its 11 games this season. The thing with Indiana is that it is not only losing on the road but losing bad as the Fever have been outscored by 19.4 ppg on the highway. Granted, Chicago is not a team that will be blowing anyone out and at 2-8 overall, it needs some sort of spark to get things going. While the wins have been few and far between, the Sky have actually played better than their record shows as only two of the eight losses have been by double-digits and of the six single-digit losses, two have come against Phoenix and three others against Minnesota, Washington and Los Angeles and these are four of the top teams in the WNBA. Chicago failed to win and cover its only game when favored but that was against Connecticut but the resurgent Sun have won four straight games. Look for Chicago to pick up its first home win of the season while laying a very short number. 10* (672) Chicago Sky

Atlanta was able to salvage a game on this current roadtrip following three straight losses as it upset Seattle in overtime as a nine-point underdog on Tuesday. The Dream improved to 3-3 on the road but the other two wins came against Chicago and Connecticut which were not overly impressive. Indiana lost its fifth straight road game on Sunday as it fell by 18 points at Washington which was the fourth time this season it has lost by at least 18 points on the road. The home floor has been a different story however as the Fever are 4-1 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse with the lone loss coming in overtime against Phoenix. Two of those wins have been impressive as they defeated Los Angeles and Seattle and this is another very winnable game against a much weaker opponent than those two. While the Indiana defense is extremely weak and the liability of this team, Atlanta has one of the least efficient offenses in the entire league. The Dream are shooting just 40.1 percent from the floor and 22.1 percent from long range, both of which are dead last in the league. Indiana guard Briann January remains questionable with an Achilles injury but Erica Wheeler has stepped up big time in her absence as she is averaging 19.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.3 apg in her last three games. 10* (658) Indiana Fever

Dallas snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Los Angeles on Friday and it should be able to keep the momentum going on its home floor as it goes for a second straight upset. The Wings were getting 7.5 points against the Sparks and are getting an even bigger number today as they look to get back to .500 both overall and on their home floor. After failing to capture the WNBA title a season ago, Minnesota is on a mission as it has opened the season with eight straight victories. The Lynx are paying the price however as they are laying another huge number and the adjustments for these have been too much as they are 0-3-1 ATS when laying eight or more points. While Minnesota leads the WNBA in both offensive and defensive scoring, the one part of its game that opponents can take advantage of is its perimeter defense as it is allowing 35.8 percent from long range. Minnesota has dominated this series with six straight victories but four of those have been tight including Dallas hanging around in the first meeting this season, losing by just a bucket. 10* (638) Dallas Wings

Connecticut returns home following a 2-1 roadtrip after opening the season with four straight losses. The wins cannot be taken too big however as they came against San Antonio and Chicago which are a combined 1-15 on the season. They are playing with a short-handed roster on top of it as they will again be without Morgan Tuck who is second on the team with 11.8 ppg while another starter, guard Alex Bentley who led the team in scoring last season, will be out for a month to play for the Belarus National Team in the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Tournament. This is on top of forward Chiney Ogwumike, who was second on the team in scoring last season, being out for the season with a torn Achilles. Atlanta has lost two straight games following a 4-1 starts but both losses came against the two top teams from the Eastern Conference. The Dream came into the season without the services Angel McCoughtry who is taking the year off to rest but Tiffany Hayes has stepped in to fill the void as she is averaging a team high 19.6 ppg which is sixth highest in the WNBA. This is a revenge game for Connecticut which lost here in the season opener to Atlanta yet despite the poor start and numerous absences, the Sun are laying a nearly identical number and it is simply too much in this rematch. 10* (627) Atlanta Dream

We lost a tough one with Indiana on Wednesday as it fell in overtime to Phoenix as a home underdog. The Fever lost despite going 36-38 from the free throw line and the big difference was that they were just 2-8 from long range. That was the first home loss for Indiana and it once again comes in as a home underdog in a similar spot. The Fever were playing with revenge from an 85-62 loss in Phoenix earlier in the season and tonight, they are playing with double revenge as they lost in Seattle twice already this season including a 94-70 blowout loss two weeks ago. Seattle is off to a 5-2 start including a 1-1 record on the road but that lone victory came at San Antonio which is off to a 0-8 start. Going back, the Storm are 9-27 over their last 36 road games and while this is an up and coming team, laying wood on the road is a bit overaggressive. Guard Briann January has a left ankle injury, and her status for Friday is uncertain but Erica Wheeler came in and scored a career high 24 points so the backcourt would not be taking a step back. 10* (624) Indiana Fever

It has been a pretty straight forward season for Indiana and its performance as the home team is a perfect 7-0 in its seven games to start the season. The Fever are coming off a win over Dallas which was a revenge victory following a 27-point loss at Dallas in its previous game. Indiana is in another similar situation here as it lost in Phoenix in its second game of the season by 23 points so there will be some payback in order tonight as well. Additionally, the Mercury ended the season for the Fever last year on this floor as Phoenix defeated Indiana by 11 points in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs so they will be out to avenge that and protect their home floor. Phoenix lost in New York on Sunday as the inconsistencies continue. While the Mercury have followed up both of their previous losses with victories, both of those wins came at home. That loss to the Liberty was the first road loss of the season but the road wins have come against 0-8 San Antonio and 1-7 Chicago. This will be the second look for Candice Dupree against her former team and Brittney Griner who had one of her best games of her career in the first meeting in Phoenix. Phoenix opened as the road favorite and has not done anything so far this season to prove it should be laying points on the road making this a must-take on the home Fever. 10* (620) Indiana Fever

Washington has turned the corner after a 1-2 start as it has won four straight games to move to 5-2 and into first place in the Eastern Conference. The Mystics have played their last three games at home which has been a benefit and this will be their first road game in 13 days where they are 1-2 on the season. The team is top-heavy on offense, relying mostly on Elena Delle Donne and Taylor Hill and right now this team is very thin as injuries have hurt the depth. Despite the great start, Washington is dead last in the WNBA in shooting offense as it is hitting just 40.3 percent from the floor. Dallas is back home following a two game roadtrip while also playing four of its last five games on the highway. The Wings went just 1-3 in those four road games and tonight marks just their third home game of the season. They are 1-1 with a blowout win over Indiana and a narrow two-point loss against Minnesota which is a perfect 7-0 on the season. This game is the beginning of a tough homestand, with the Mystics preceding last year's two WNBA finalists, the Sparks and Lynx so this is a big game to get things off to a good start. Dallas is third overall in the league in points per game at 82.4 and fifth with a shooting percentage of 42.6 from the floor. The Wings are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning straight up record while the Mystics have failed to cover their last four games against the Western Conference. 10* (612) Dallas Wings

We have been pretty sour on Chicago this year as it is going through a tough transition right now following years of success. They were forced to trade away Elena Delle Donne to Washington and while some good pieces came in to build a strong foundation, it has taken some time to gel. After leading the WNBA in scoring over the last two seasons, the Sky are ranked No. 10 in scoring offense this season while shooting a league low 38.2 percent from the floor. Chicago is winless at home at 0-3 but tonight presents a good opportunity to get into the win column. We won with Phoenix in its last game as it rolled over Dallas by 42 points this past Saturday but that was a revenge game from the season opener and overall, the schedule has been on the side of the Mercury. Not only have they played an easy slate, only one of their first five games has been on the road so they have been fortunate in that regard. While the public is well aware of the Sky being in rebuilding mode, Phoenix is right there as well as Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi are the only returning players from the roster last season. Leilani Mitchell is the only other player besides Griner and Taurasi that is averaging double-digits so this team is struggling for others to step up as well. Chicago is in great shape to secure that first home win of the season. 10* (660) Chicago Sky

**11:30 AM ET Start** It has been a tough start to the season for San Antonio which is winless through five games but the schedule has not helped nor have some key injuries. The Stars have played all five games against teams that are expected to make the playoffs but have still failed to cover only one game. They have been hurt in their last two games by just one bad quarter and stringing a whole game together means a win is on the way and this comes up as the first real winnable road game of the season and we are seeing that in the line. San Antonio has received 13, 16.5 and 14 points in its first three road games and now is getting just seven points which shows how big of a drop down in class this is. Atlanta is off to a 3-1 start which is a little surprising considering it is without star forward Angel McCoughtry who is taking the season off. The Dream have had the opposite as far as schedules go as three of their four games came against teams that will likely not be in the playoff hunt come the end of the season. Atlanta made the playoffs last season but will have a tough time repeating that and while this is certainly another winnable game, this is a big line for the Dream to be laying down. They are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win while the Stars are 16-7-1 ATS in their last 24 games following a straight up loss. 10* (657) San Antonio Stars

Los Angeles continues its roadtrip as it heads to New York on Tuesday in search of ending a two-game losing streak. The Sparks lost three straight games only once all of last season and that was toward the end of the year when they not at full strength. The road has not been kind to the Sparks. After a 2-0 start to the season at home with a pair of double-digit victories, the Sparks have lost their first two games of a three-game road swing by a combined five points. The Liberty are coming off a 1-1 roadtrip where they won in Phoenix and lost against up-and-coming Seattle. The win over the Mercury may look good on paper but Phoenix is a work in progress right now as it has only two players back from last season. New York is not a whole lot different right now as it is dealing with injuries that are hurting the efficiency of the team. New York lost Brittany Boyd for the season and the backcourt struggled against the Mercury as it finished with just 12 assists and had 17 turnovers. They were better against Seattle with just eight turnovers but the starting backcourt scored just 23 points total. New York head coach Bill Laimbeer said he will have a greater sense of the team dynamic after a couple more games into the season. Right now, he said, "It's a work in process." The Liberty are just 6-22 ATS in their last 28 home games. 10* (651) Los Angeles Sparks

Connecticut is one of two remaining teams in the WNBA without a victory and its schedule has had a lot to do with that. The Sun have faced teams that are a combined 9-4 including a pair of losses against 5-0 Minnesota which is the only undefeated team in the league. They finally catch a break and square off against a rebuilding Chicago team that is off to a 1-4 start with all four losses coming by at least eight points. The Sky lost a lot of talent in the offseason including its biggest star Elena Delle Donne and they are still trying to find their way. Chicago is tied for last in the WNBA in offense after having the highest scoring offense for two consecutive seasons so the losses have been felt in a big way. Connecticut has played very well on the road as both losses have come by a bucket against much better teams than what it will be facing tonight. This has carried over from last season as the Sun are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 road games and they are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a losing straight up record. The Sky are favored for the first time this season which was definitely expected but are also overpriced in a game that can go either way. 10* (621) Connecticut Sun

We played against Dallas on Thursday and were on the wrong side of a 33-13 fourth quarter that the Wings hung on San Antonio. They hit the road once again tonight and will be out to pick up their second win in Phoenix this season but the Mercury will have something to say about that. While not listed on some injury reports, the Wings will be without starting center Courtney Paris who was hurt in the last game against the Stars and will be out close to two months. Phoenix was without Diana Taurasi in its last game as she was serving a one-game suspension but is back tonight and will be out for some revenge following a dreadful first meeting where she went 1-9 from the floor and scored just three points. There should be added motivation as well as she is three three-pointers from becoming the WNBA career leader in that category. The Mercury have struggled from long range early in the season but Dallas is the one team that is shooting worse from behind the arc and that could make a big difference tonight. Additionally, Dallas outrebounded the Mercury 41 to 17 in the first meeting and limited Phoenix center Brittney Griner to two rebounds so there is even more motivation in the mix. 10* (620) Phoenix Mercury

After falling to the Sparks in the season opener, the Storm have won two straight games to get over .500 for the first time since August 2013. After playing their first two games without Sue Bird, they got its veteran point guard back on the court Sunday and she scored nine points and dished out 10 assists with just one turnover in 29 minutes. This is a team on the rise and you have to appreciate what they did last season as they ended up making the playoffs thanks to a 10-6 finish following a 6-12 start to the season. We won with New York in its last game as it won in Phoenix by a bucket in a game that the Liberty closed as a one-point favorite which makes this line seem off by quite a bit. However, Phoenix is a team with many more questions than answers as Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner are the only returning players from last season. New York lost Brittany Boyd for the season and the backcourt struggled against the Mercury as it finished with just 12 assists and had 17 turnovers. The return of Bird is huge for the Storm as it has taken pressure off Jewell Loyd to do everything in the Seattle backcourt. She leads the league with 26.0 ppg. 10* (616) Seattle Storm

**12:00 PM ET** San Antonio is off to a 0-3 start but things are looking up. The Stars lost in Washington and New York, the two top teams in the Eastern Conference, and then came home and fell to Phoenix, one of the top teams in the Western Conference so the schedule has been far from easy. Today, they get some much needed help Moriah Jefferson, who averaged 13.9 ppg last season and Kelsey Plum, the first overall pick and all-time scoring leader in NCAA basketball, will make their season debuts after sitting out the first three games with slight injuries as both practiced yesterday. With Jefferson and Plum sidelined, the Stars have used a point guard by committee, with Sydney Colson and Monique Currie carrying much of the load. Now the backcourt strengthens immensely. Dallas is 1-1 on the season with an upset win at Phoenix and a narrow two-point home loss against Minnesota. This impressive start is making the Wings a bit overinflated here and having the youngest roster in the WNBA will make it difficult to continue any road success. San Antonio won just seven games last season so this number is taking that into consideration as well but finally having the whole roster available today, we can see what is in store for a very bright future for the Stars. 10* (610) San Antonio Stars

**12:30 PM ET Start** Washington made some major upgrades in the offseason to try to be able improve and challenge New York in the Eastern Conference. So far, not so good. The Mystics opened with a win over lowly San Antonio but have since dropped two straight games against Los Angeles and Seattle. Those two teams are going to be in the playoffs so those defeats cannot be too troublesome. The big addition for Washington was Elena Delle Donne as she was acquired in the offseason and now heads back to Chicago for the first time not being in a Sky uniform. She will not likely get a very warm welcome because she forced a trade and she will be plenty motivated to take it to her old team. Chicago dropped its first two games of the season but bounced back on Sunday as it defeated Atlanta in a revenge game from two days before but this is a team that is still trying to find its identity. The Sky are using the fact they made the playoffs last season with Delle Donne sidelined but it was Delle Donna that pretty much got them there when she averaged 21.5 ppg in 28 games and she has slightly upped that through three games this season. It will be loud and Chicago will be motivated as well but it does not have enough to stop the Mystics which are in need of a big win. 10* (605) Washington Mystics

There is a lot going on in this game and most of the scenarios favor New York even with this being its first road game of the season. The Liberty are off to a 1-1 start as they defeated San Antonio but were hammered by Minnesota in their most recent game by 19 points. A lookahead to this game seems unlikely since it is so early in the season but New York has some motivation here as after finishing with the top record in the Eastern Conference last season, they were ousted in the playoffs by Phoenix. That loss came at home on top of it so New York wants to return that favor here. The Mercury have won two straight games following a season opening loss against Dallas but they will be shorthanded tonight. Guard Diana Taurasi has been suspended one game without pay for hitting San Antonio Stars forward Dearica Hamby in the back of the head with a forearm. New York lost Brittany Boyd for the season in its last game with an Achilles injury but the Liberty are much better equipped to make up for her loss because of their very deep backcourt. New York is looking to push the ball more this season but the strength is still its defense and that effort will be in full force tonight. 10* (671) New York Liberty

We played against the Fever on Wednesday as they went to Phoenix and got blasted by 23 points to fall to 0-2 on the season but a return to Indiana for their home opener is just what they need to right the ship. It was nearly a wire-to-wire win for the Mercury, which trailed only at 2-0. The game was tied at seven before Phoenix started to pull away, eventually leading by as many as 28 in the third quarter. The new look Indiana roster should be very energized playing in front of the home crowd tonight. Connecticut has played only one game this season and that was a full week ago so the question remains if the time off will hurt or help. The Sun did not look good in their season opener as they lost at home to Atlanta by seven points a five-point favorites. They are without two starters as forward Chiney Ogwumike is out for the season with a torn Achilles while another forward, Alyssa Thomas, is out after suffering a concussion in the first game of the season. They accounted for a combined 23.7 ppg last season and their absence puts a big hole in their frontcourt. They basically have just one post player who was with the team last season. 10* (662) Indiana Fever

Minnesota hits the road for the first time this season following a season opening victory on Sunday but it was not pretty. The Lynx were able to win against Chicago on a night when they shot 37 percent overall, 23.7 percent in the second half and sub-20 percent in the fourth quarter. That type of performance will not get it done here and even a much better effort may not be good enough as New York will be playing with a chip on its shoulder. The Liberty won their season opener against San Antonio but it was not their greatest effort as they shot just 42.6 percent from the floor including going 1-7 from long range while committing 13 turnovers. It was the other side of the ball that got the job done as is usually the case with this team. They led the league in defensive shooting percentage as they allowed just 41.3 percent from the floor and were in the top four in three-point shooting defense. New York is built around a formidable frontcourt featuring Tina Charles and moving Brittany Boyd into the starting lineup at guard has made the Liberty a quicker and more dangerous team in transition. The outright win is far from out of the question here. 10* (654) New York Liberty

Phoenix opened the season by getting upset at home against Dallas as it lost by 10 points as an eight-point favorite as nothing went right. The Mercury scored just 36 points over the final three quarters while going just 4-19 from long range. The worst part however came on the glass as Phoenix was outrebounded 41-17 including 12-0 on the offensive glass. This all comes after ending last season by getting swept in three games against Minnesota so there should be some urgency going into tonight especially knowing how long it took them to get going last season after a 0-4 start. Indiana lost in Seattle in its season opener and this is a new look Fever team that is without Tamika Catchings for the first time since 2002 and is also breaking in a new head coach so this may take some time to get going. Indiana did acquire Candice Dupree and she really struggled in her first game with her new team. This is a revenge game for the Fever which were bumped by Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs last season but playing road revenge is not an ideal spot and in that game, Indiana was getting 4.5 points at home and is now getting nearly the same amount on the road so there is huge value on the Mercury here as well. 10* (652) Phoenix Mercury

The WNBA season tips off on Saturday and two of the surprising teams from last season take part in one of the opening games. After two straight losing seasons, the Los Angeles Sparks are the defending WNBA Champions but are far from the same team to open the 2017 season, at least for another week. WNBA Finals MVP Candace Parker is overseas, still competing in the Turkish League playoffs, along with Sparks starter Jantel Lavender and top reserve Essence Carson. While the Sparks will miss a trio of players for at least one game, they also lost point guard Kristi Toliver who signed with Washington after averaging 13.2 ppg and 3.7 apg last season. Seattle was one of the youngest teams in the league last season and it showed early on as the Storm opened 6-12 but went on to finish 10-6 over their last 16 games and made the playoffs before an early exit. They are only going to be better this season and have a good opportunity to start strong out of the gates. Along with Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart, the Storm return the majority of the core from last season, including Crystal Langhorne, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Alysha Clark. Seattle won two of the three meetings last season and it catches a big break early in the season facing a depleted Los Angeles roster. 10* (603) Seattle Storm

This is exactly what the WNBA brass was hoping for when the playoff format was changed, the two best teams squaring off in the finals and the series going to a deciding final game. Los Angeles and Minnesota have gone back and forth in the Finals, each team alternating wins and while the last three games have not been as close as expected, we should see this final game come down to the wire just like Game One. The Sparks never got their game going in Game Four as they were outrebounded 41-25 and managed just 30 points in the paint, down from 52 points in the previous game. The difference was that Candice Parker was off her game, going just 4-14 from the floor and now with this being the biggest game of her career, all will be left on the floor. Even with the Game Four struggles from most of the core players, Los Angeles kept the game close and despite the change in venue for the last game, we can expect to see it again. as mentioned in previous game analysis, these two teams are very evenly matched and Minnesota is again hit with an inflated line at home. Five of the seven games in this series have been won by the road team and it would not be surprising to see that streak continue on Thursday. The Sparks have a solid situation on their side as we play on teams that are revenging a loss where opponent scored 85 or more points, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 59-27 ATS (68.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (609) Los Angeles Sparks

The Sparks won for us on Friday and they have a chance to win the series tonight but Minnesota is not going to let that happen. Surprisingly, as evenly matched as these two teams are, two of the first three games have turned out to be blowouts and while we can expect a closer game on Sunday than what we have seen the last two games, the Lynx are not going away without a fight. The last two games have been complete opposites as for the teams. On Friday, the Sparks outrebounded Minnesota, 29-24, and buried 54.9 percent of their field goals while the Lynx looked exactly like the Sparks did in Game Two as no player scored more than 14 points and they only went 3-11 from beyond the arc. Like Game Two for Los Angeles, Game Three for Minnesota was an aberration. You would expect the team playing in its first Finals, not in its fifth, to make the mistakes the Lynx made. After holding the Sparks to 60 points in Game Two, tying their season low, they gave up 92 in Game Three, allowing a more aggressive Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker to get going and that is where they need to buckle down on Sunday. The situation tonight is on the Minnesota side as we play on teams revenging a loss where the opponent scored 85 or more points, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 58-27 ATS (68.2 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, the Lynx have covered five straight games following a loss. 10* (653) Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota broke the home team jinx in the season series as it snapped a four-game winning streak by the road team with a 79-60 blowout win on Tuesday. With Los Angeles taking Game One, it grabbed the home court edge in the best of five series and that will be big in Game Three. The Sparks went 16-3 at home this season with two of those losses coming against Minnesota but we feel the streak finally gets broken here. Los Angeles had one of its worst shooting game of the season in Game Two as it was 23-70 (32.9 percent) from the floor and take away the 5-6 shooting from Nneka Ogwumike and the other four starters were a combined 14-48 (22.6 percent). This was a big aberration and while the Minnesota defense is solid, it is not that type of solid. The Sparks missed 17 of 20 three-pointers in Game Two after leading the league in three-point shooting during the season so we will definitely see a bounce back at home. The Sparks have a solid situation on their side as we play on home teams that are revenging a road loss versus opponent by 10 points or more, playing their third game or less in 10 days. This situation is 123-72 ATS (63.1 percent) since 1997. These teams are separated by just a game and a half in their overall records yet Minnesota was favored by 6.5 and 7 points in the first two games yet Los Angeles is favored by just 1.5 points at home and that variance does not make any sense. 10* (652) Los Angeles Sparks

We won with Los Angeles in Game One of this series as the Sparks won outright as a 6.5-point underdog. The Lynx did not play their typical game as they committed 15 turnovers while not making a single three-pointer. They are not the best three-point shooting team in the league by far but not making a single long ball can be an issue. Game Two is now a must win for Minnesota and during the NBA season we often talk about the bounce theory and how linesmakers have caught up to this betting angle by shifting line the opposite way but that is not the case here as we are seeing a smaller than anticipated number here. Three of the four meetings in this series have been decided by three points or less and the road team has won all four games so we are going against the season results here but based on the situation and what is at hand, the Lynx are the only play. In each of their five WNBA Finals appearances, the Lynx have had the best record and been the host for the first two games. However, they have lost the opener now three times. Minnesota bounced back in Game Two the first two times and we should see that again here tonight. The Lynx are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a straight up loss and those four wins were by an average of 19.8 ppg. Meanwhile, the Sparks are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win. 10* (608) Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota and Los Angeles went a combined 33-5 at home this season and three of those losses came in this series as the road team swept all three games. This is the matchup the WNBA was hoping for and while winning here in Minnesota will be tough once again for the Sparks, they are getting a big number to work with as this line opened at 4.5 and is up to 6 in most spots. Los Angeles has been an underdog only twice this season, once against the Lynx and once against the Liberty, and won both of those games outright. There is very little separation between the teams in offensive and defensive stats just as there is little separation between these two teams overall. This is not a matchup of one dominant team taking on an overwhelmed opponent. This is a matchup of the two most dominant teams this league has seen in years. The Lynx had the best offensive and defensive net rating in the league. The Sparks had the second best. And while the Sparks lost some efficiency points after the Olympic break, they still hold the number one league rankings in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, effective field goal percentage, and true shooting percentage. Game One should come down to the wire. 10* (605) Los Angeles Sparks

Minnesota and Los Angeles were on a collision course to face each other in the WNBA Finals and while the Lynx easily took care of Phoenix, the Sparks are not there yet. They took a 2-0 series lead with easy wins at home but played one of their worst halves of the season in the second half on Sunday. They scored only 27 second half points and while the Chicago defense can be given some of the credit, we can chalk it up as an aberration. The Sky struggled all season long on defense, finishing the year with the second-worst defensive rating at 106.1. Those problems were obvious in the first two games of this series against the Sparks, as they allowed Los Angeles to shoot a combined 53.3 percent. That went down to just 36.6 percent in Game Three but we can expect the Sparks to bounce back here and win the series going away. Chicago center Imani Boyette had one of her best games of the season with 13 points and 11 boards against one of the best interiors in the league and Los Angeles will not be allowing that again. The Sky defense has been too inconsistent all season to hold down the Sparks for a second straight game. Chicago is 5-21 ATS in its last 26 games in the second half of the season against teams shooting 36 percent or better from long range. 10* (601) Los Angeles Sparks

The first two games of the WNBA Semifinals were anything but competitive as they were decided by 18 and 20 points but we should see things come back to normality on Friday. Chicago is playing without Elena Delle Donne which makes it a very touch matchup against a big Los Angeles team but Phoenix has the chance to make this a series once again. While the Mercury are far from a defensive juggernaut, there was little they could do on Wednesday against Minnesota as the Lynx shot 63.9 percent from the floor in their Game One victory. After a very competitive first quarter, Minnesota started the second quarter with a 19-4 run and went on to set a WNBA record for more points scored in regulation in a playoff game. Because of the margin of victory in Game One, the line for Game Two has gone up to add to the value and Phoenix has two great contrarian situations on its side. First, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg, after scoring 90 points or more. This situation is 69-37 ATS (65.1 percent) since 1997. Second, we play on teams in the second half of the season that possess a winning percentage between .400 and .499 and are coming off a conference loss by 10 points or more, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 52-21 ATS (71.2 percent) since 1997. 10* (655) Phoenix Mercury

Minnesota and Phoenix are meeting with a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in six years. The Lynx finished the season with the best record in the league which gave them a double-bye in the new playoff format and while that can be considered an advantage, it may not be very helpful for this first game. They have been off for 11 days which is a huge amount of time off that can break up any sort of team chemistry and we saw it once with this team as they lost outright to Connecticut following the lengthy Olympic break. Phoenix survived both one-and-done playoff games as is peaking at the right time. It was a very disappointing season for the Mercury as they finished two games under .500 but they have played their best since starting 4-9 and a lot of that can be blamed on chemistry. Diana Taurasi missed all of last season and while she has been outstanding this year, it took some time for the team to get together. While Minnesota is the clear favorite in this series, Phoenix is catching a big number in this opener and will certainly be out for revenge after getting swept by Minnesota in the three-game season series. The Mercury have covered seven of their last 10 games against teams with a winning record while going 5-0 ATS in their last five games after three or more days of rest. Additionally, they have covered all three games this season when getting 5 or more points. 10* (651) Phoenix Mercury

The home floor did no good yesterday for New York although it did play good enough to win but Phoenix was an incredible 24-24 from the free throw line. The home floor should make a difference today however as Chicago hosts Atlanta in the final single elimination game of the playoffs. The Sky closed the regular season with a loss at Seattle but played very well over the second half of the season after a very slow start. Chicago went just 8-12 in its first 20 games but went 10-4 after that which includes a five-game home winning streak. Atlanta survived Seattle on Wednesday as it was able to pull away in the fourth quarter after the game was tied at 66 after three periods. The Dream went on a 24-6 run sparked by Angel McCoughtry who finished with 37 points. Elena Delle Donne has been ruled out in this game but Chicago did go 3-2 in her absence with both losses coming on the road. As mentioned, the home floor should come into play today as Chicago is 11-6 at while Atlanta is the exact opposite with a 6-11 record on the road. This includes a 2-10 record on the highway over its last 12 following a solid 4-1 start. The spread records are in line as well as the Dream are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games while the Dream are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games. 10* (608) Chicago Sky

This is the third straight game to open the WNBA playoffs where the road team is favored. In the first two games on Wednesday, there was no issue with that based on the seedings of the teams but now, this should not be the case. Phoenix is laying over a bucket on the road and while it is clearly the hotter teams, it is not the better team. The Mercury have won three straight games but even with the last two coming on the road, they are just 6-12 in 18 road games on the season. New York had a first round bye which came at a perfect time as it enters the postseason riding a three-game losing streak. The Liberty were not at full strength in the final two games however as they rested players after already having locked up the No. 3 seed. Brittney Griner usually has an edge down low for Phoenix but this is one matchup where that is not the case. Tina Charles has been dominating all season and that includes games against the Mercury as she has averaged 26.6 ppg and 11.0 rpg in three games against Phoenix this season. New York won two of the three meetings with the lone loss coming in overtime. In the two meetings in New York, the Liberty were favored by the same amount they are getting here so there is a five-point swing and this includes one meeting just three weeks ago and there is no way these teams are that far different from then until now. 10* (606) New York Liberty

The WNBA playoffs begin tonight and it is win or go home for the four teams in action. We backed Seattle in the final regular season game and we will back the Storm again as they are a team that can pull some surprises in the postseason if they can get past this one-and-done scenario. After a slow start to the season overall, the young team has gelled by going 7-3 in the nine games since the Olympic break and the run has not lacked quality. The Storm defeated Los Angeles twice, Chicago and New York over this stretch so they bring in some solid momentum. Atlanta was a surprise in the Eastern Conference as not much was expected but it opened 8-3 to take control early but it could not keep the momentum going. The Dream finished just 9-14 including losses in three of their final four games. The Dream will be shorthanded tonight as guard and second leading scorer with 15 ppg Tiffany Hayes has been suspended for this game after incurring her seventh technical foul in the season finale against Minnesota. This is a huge hit for Atlanta as she is one of the better shooters on the team at 44.1 percent and the Dream come in as the worst shooting team of all playoff teams. On the other side, the Atlanta defense holds opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 47.0 percent which is the third lowest percentage in the league. That is not good considering the Storm have the second-best shooting percentage in the league at 51.4 percent. 10* (603) Seattle Storm

We played against Seattle on Thursday against Phoenix and was blown out by 24 points as it fell behind 16 points after a quarter and could never catch up. We are playing on the Storm tonight however in the final regular season game of the year as they look to gain back some momentum heading into the playoffs. They had won four straight prior to Thursday while covering their previous six games and after a slow start to the season overall, the young team has gelled by going 6-3 in the nine games since the Olympic break. Chicago has won three straight games but this game means nothing as it has locked up the No. 4 seed in the playoffs which comes with a first round bye. The Sky are not in the best of shape however as they have lost their star Elena Delle Donne for the rest of the season due to a thumb injury. Seattle will be out for some payback as well as it lost the first two meetings but both were close as the defeats were by just three and four points The Storm fall into a great situation where we play on home teams in the second half of the season with a winning percentage between .401 and .499 that are coming off a road loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 38-14 ATS (73.1 percent) since 1997. Additionally, the Storm are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games following a loss. 10* (658) Seattle Storm

All eight playoff positions are locked up and both Dallas and Connecticut are on the outside looking in. This is the fourth straight season that the Sun have failed to make the postseason which is the longest streak in franchise history but they have not thrown in the towel quite yet. "We don't like having to play these games without a playoff picture in mind, but there is still a lot to build on and get some momentum heading into the offseason," head coach Curt Miller said. Connecticut opened the season 2-10 and was doomed from the start but its 10-10 record since then has been pretty solid. Dallas has won two straight games but this came after an 11-game losing streak so its problems have been more recent. Since opening 4-4 on the road, the Wings have gone just 1-6 on the highway with the lone win coming at 7-25 San Antonio, the worst team in the league. This is the final home game of the season for the Sun so they will want to go out strong on their home floor and they have a solid situation on their side to do so. We play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after two or more consecutive wins with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 on the season. This situation is 30-8 ATS (78.9 percent) since 1997 with the average point differential being 11.2 ppg. Connecticut is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games against losing teams and 13-4 ATS this season against the Western Conference while Dallas is 4-12 ATS this season against the Eastern Conference. 10* (652) Connecticut Sun

The WNBA season is winding down and there is only one playoff spot remaining and which teams gets it should be decided tonight. It has come down to Washington or Phoenix to claim the eighth and final spot and it is pretty simple for the Mercury, win and they are in. they can also clinch with a Washington loss earlier in the night but that should have no effect on how the Mercury go about this game as they need to finish the season strong going into the playoffs as there is no need to rest starters at this point. They have dropped four of their last five games but all of those came on the road and Phoenix has won all three games at home since the Olympic break. Seattle is peaking at the right time as it has won four straight games to secure a playoff spot while covering six straight games. This makes it a perfect spot to go against the Storm and even more so with the Mercury arguably playing one of their biggest games of the season. They will be out to avoid the three-game season sweep after losing the first two meetings on top of it. Going back, Seattle is 7-22 in its last 29 road games coming off a conference win as an underdog and Phoenix has a great situation on its side. We play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a losing record on the season after three or more consecutive wins. This situation is 27-5 ATS (84.4 percent) since 1997. 10* (604) Phoenix Mercury

Los Angeles has hot a rough patch as it has gone 3-8 since the Olympic break after starting the season with a 21-3 record. The Sparks have dropped three straight games including a loss at Seattle on Sunday by 18 points but part of that was related to the fact that they elected to rest starters Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver. Los Angeles has locked up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming playoffs so while this game may seem meaningless, it is far from that as the Sparks need to get out of this funk before the postseason starts. With just one regular season game left, now is the time. Phoenix is still fighting for a playoff berth and a win tonight would clinch that. But this is not a must win however as the Mercury need to win just one of their three remaining games or have Washington lose one of its three remaining games and that could happen tonight at New York before this game even tips off. That could possibly lead to some of the Phoenix starters resting should they clinch and while we are not banking on that, if it happens, it only adds to the value of this play. Los Angeles falls into a great situation as we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are revenging a same season loss and coming off a road loss against a conference rival. This situation is 112-65 ATS (63.3 percent) since 1997. 10* (660) Los Angeles Sparks

This is not the season that Phoenix envisioned. One of the most talented teams for a few years now, the Mercury were expected to contend in the Western Conference with the return of Diana Taurasi but instead, they got off to a 0-4 start and have yet to recover. While the playoffs are still in sight, nothing is guaranteed as Phoenix is sitting in the eighth spot by just one game over Washington and there is little room for error at this point. This is because of a three-game losing streak to end their roadtrip and put the Mercury at 4-11 on the highway for the season. Atlanta meanwhile has had the opposite kind of season as many predicted that it would end up in the basement in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Dream got off to a 6-1 start and while they could not keep up with New York, they are sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference. The road has been a tough place despite an upset victory at Los Angeles on Friday as Atlanta had dropped eight of its previous nine roadies before that. That victory over the Sparks puts them in a great play against spot and it does not hurt that Phoenix went to Atlanta just last week and lost by four points as a 3.5-point favorite. That brings in revenge as well as some solid line value as this number is only three points different despite the venue change. This is a must win game for the home team and it is one that the Mercury should win in blowout fashion. 10* (610) Phoenix Mercury

This game has blowout written all over it. The Sparks are coming off a disappointing home loss against Minnesota on Tuesday to move a game behind the Lynx in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is just 3-3 coming out of the Olympic break after losing just three games through its first 24 games. The good news for the Sparks is that the rest of the schedule sets up well as three of the last four games are at home where they have lost just twice, both against Minnesota. When they defeated Indiana on September 4, that was the first home game in seven weeks based on a scheduling quirk so they should be getting back used to the comforts of the Staples Center. Atlanta improved to 15-14 with a win over Phoenix on Tuesday and it is currently tied with Chicago for the fourth playoff seed but nothing is safe as the Dream are just three games away from missing the playoffs altogether. They are just 5-9 on the road and are currently riding a four-game losing streak on the highway. During that recent long roadtrip, the Sparks lost by 17 points in Atlanta which was by far their worst loss of the season as their other five losses have been by just 27 points combined so revenge is a big factor tonight. 10* (602) Los Angeles Sparks

After winning three straight games coming out of the Olympic break, Phoenix has dropped its last two games to fall to 4-10 on the road this season. The Mercury are clearly the biggest disappointments in the WNBA this season as they are three games under .500 overall and are far from assured of a playoff spot. The Mercury are 1-5 ATS in their last six games playing on two days of rest. Atlanta is coming off a loss two days ago against Seattle at home and that was considered a bad loss and it happened to snap a five-game home winning streak. The Dream are now a game behind Chicago and overall, they are sitting in fifth place in the current playoff standings so in order to try and grab home court advantage, winning on the home floor is imperative where they are 9-5 overall. Phoenix has covered five of its last six games at home while covering four of its last five following a loss. The Mercury have been overvalued all season, going 7-13 ATS as favorites including a 2-5 ATS mark as road chalk. One of those victories did come here and that happened to be the last Atlanta loss prior to that recent winning streak so there is revenge in play tonight. Phoenix is actually favored by a bigger amount tonight than the last meeting so we can take advantage of some value there. 10* (602) Atlanta Dream

Indiana was red hot heading into the Olympic break as it has won five six games to move into sixth place in the WNBA playoff standings but the break did the Fever no good. They have come out with little fire on offense as they have scored just 69 and 65 points in two losses by 23 and 14 points. The positive streak in July was not against a bunch of poor teams either as wins came against Phoenix, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York. The win against the Liberty closed out the run so the Liberty will be out for some revenge put playing road revenge is not advised. Additionally, this line is overadjusted of what we have seen post Olympics as Indiana was getting 3.5 points in New York in that last meeting and it now nearly getting that same amount at home and that is a bad linesmakers adjustment. The Liberty won their first game after the break as they rolled over San Antonio and they still possess the third best record in the league and it is unlikely they will be able to catch Los Angeles or Minnesota with just seven games remaining. The Fever have covered four of their last five games following a loss while the Liberty have covered just once in their last five games against teams with a losing record. Additionally, we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 in the second half of the season after being beaten by the spread by 18 or more points total in their last three games, with a winning percentage of between .400 and .499. This situation is 25-6 ATS (80.6 percent) since 1997. 10* (602) Indiana Fever

The playoffs remain a very strong possibility for both of these teams as Dallas and Seattle are battling it out with Washington and Connecticut for the eighth and final playoff spot. Those four teams are within a game and a half of each other so this game is a big one both sides. This is the final meeting of the season with Dallas having taken the first two games so while Seattle cannot win the head-to-head tiebreaker, it can increase its lead to two and a half games over the Wings. The home floor has not been great for the Storm but a 7-7 record is not all that bad and four of those losses came against teams with a winning record. Dallas is just 4-9 on the road including losses in five straight with the win coming right here back on June 30. That certainly bring revenge into play for Seattle and it falls into a great revenge situation. We play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are revenging a same season loss versus opponent, off a loss against a division rival. This situation is 156-95 ATS (62.2 percent) since 1997. Additionally, we play against underdogs after allowing 75 points or more in five straight games going up against an opponent after a loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 43-19 ATS (69.4 percent) since 1997. On top of that, Seattle is 9-0 ATS after allowing 90 points or more over the last two seasons. 10* (652) Seattle Storm

Friday was the first day back for the WNBA because of the Rio Olympics and we stayed away not knowing how some of these teams would come out. The possibility of some good betting opportunities in the next game for some teams was what we were hoping for and we got one for Sunday. Connecticut opened up with an upset win at home against Minnesota by four points as a 7.5-point underdog. Going back, the Sun have won three straight games and have covered six straight and 10 of their last 11 so they have helped their backers immensely. They are now helping us with a shorter than anticipated number. Atlanta meanwhile dropped its return game, a 90-82 loss at Chicago. The Dream actually shot the ball a lot better but Chicago took 20 more shots thanks to winning the battle of the offensive boards 18-6. Atlanta is 8-4 at home and it holds down second place in the Eastern Conference by just a half-game over Chicago and Indiana so this is a big bounce back game with just seven games remaining after this one. The Dream fall into a great situation where we play against road underdogs that are averaging 73 or more ppg on the season, after two straight wins by six points or less. This situation is 35-10 ATS (77.8 percent) since 1997. 10* (652) Atlanta Dream

It has been an up and down season for Atlanta as it opened up 8-3 before a six-game losing streak that has been followed up by a 4-3 run to get it back to .500. This is the final game for the Dream before a month off because of the Olympics and they no doubt want to end on a good note. They are coming off a loss at Minnesota on Wednesday but come in riding a three-game home winning streak including a huge win over Los Angeles last time out. Atlanta is 5-1 ATS this season as a favorite of seven or fewer points and has covered 11 of its last 15 games against teams from the Western Conference. Dallas has been struggling of late with losses in five straight games to fall to six games under .500 on the season. The Wings have defeated only one team the entire season that is currently .500 or better and that was Indiana way back in the first game of the season. Since then, they are 0-9 against such teams and remain shorthanded. Dallas will be without Glory Johnson until after the break because of a foot injury and that is a big loss that has already shown to be an issue as it has dropped all four games without her in the lineup. The Wings are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against teams from the Eastern Conference. 10* (604) Atlanta Dream

**Note 11:30 AM ET Start** As the WNBA season heads into a month-long break because of the Rio Olympics, New York and Washington are heading in opposite directions. The Liberty sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 17-7 record but despite being 10 games over .500, they are outscoring their opponents by just 3.4 ppg and while they are 9-3 on the road, they are outscoring opponents by a mere 1.8 ppg on the highway. Washington meanwhile has dropped five straight games but all of those came on the road so a return home for the final two games before the break is needed. They are coming off an 80-51 blowout loss at Seattle on Friday so motivation will certainly be high. Washington hosts Los Angeles on Friday so this game is even more important as going into the time off on a seven-game losing streak is far from ideal. Going back, the Mystics are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against the Eastern Conference while the Liberty are 2-6-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (602) Washington Mystics

Both Chicago and Phoenix are two of the biggest disappointments in the league this season and both will be looking to win their third straight game. The Sky defeated Seattle on Sunday by three points and while it was a needed victory, they are just 1-4 in their last five games following a win. Chicago will be without centers Erika de Souza and Clarissa Dos Santos. Both players left the team to represent Brazil in the Summer Olympics and will not return until after the WNBA's month-long break for the Summer Games. The Sky are 8-19 ATS in their last 27 games following a ATS win. Phoenix took care of Washington and San Antonio at home to move to 7-5 on its home floor to gain some much needed momentum. Diana Taurasi will be back in the lineup after missing the last game because of a suspension for receiving her seventh technical foul of the season. She leads the Mercury with 19.1 ppg to go along with a team high 93 assists so her return is big. Phoenix won the first meeting at home this season last month before losing to the Sky in Chicago nine days ago. The Sky are just 1-5 ATS this season as a single-digit underdog. 10* (654) Phoenix Mercury

New York is coming off a humbling loss at Minnesota on Friday as it lost by 18 points which gave a little validation of how much better the Western Conference is at the top. The Liberty are still in first place in the Eastern Conference 16-7 record which is 4.5-games clear of Atlanta and they have done the job in their own conference. They are 8-1 against conference foes while going just 8-6 against the Western Conference. Connecticut is coming off a loss against Los Angeles Friday but it was a great effort as it lost in overtime to the best team in the WNBA and going back, the Sun have now covered six of their last seven games which is playing into this line as it seems off. These teams met last month in Connecticut and New York was an eight-point favorite there and now comes home as the same favorite which does not make sense with the venue switch. The Sun are just 3-7 on the road and an even worse 1-8 against the Eastern Conference which is the complete opposite of the Liberty. Going back further, the Sun are 7-17-1 ATS in their last 25 games within the Eastern Conference while the Liberty are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS loss. New York has yet to cover a game at home this season against a losing team but after losing two other games by double-digits earlier this season, it came back to blow out the next opponent and the situation calls for it again here. 10* (604) New York Liberty

Atlanta was picked to finish dead last in the WNBA but has surpassed expectations by a lot as it is sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, one game over .500. The Dream have had their struggles of late however as they have dropped seven of their last 10 after an 8-3 start and that solid beginning is a little deceiving. Three of the wins came in overtime, two others came against Connecticut which is the worst team in the Eastern Conference and another came against San Antonio which is the worst team in the Western Conference. Indiana is not very intimidating right now as it has been on a tough first half run. The Fever are just 9-12 after representing the Eastern Conference in the WNBA Finals last season, coming a victory away from winning it all. The home floor has not been kind as they have dropped five in a row and while three of those came by just one possession, the last defeat was their worst of the season as they fell to Connecticut by 18 points on Wednesday. If that is not enough motivation to turn things around here, there is none anywhere. The Fever are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS loss while Atlanta has covered just twice in its last eight Eastern Conference games. 10* (604) Indiana Fever

One of four afternoon WNBA games takes place in Chicago as the Sky host the top team in the league as they look to keep a small amount of momentum going. Chicago defeated Phoenix on Sunday which snapped a two-game slide and they may have found something using their fifth different starting lineup of the season. Cappie Pondexter came off the bench due to being in a multi-game slump prior to the last game and going back she had started all 342 WNBA games that she has played but had no issues in her new role. The road has been the issue for Chicago which is 3-7 on the highway but is a much more respectable 5-4 at home. Los Angeles is a league-best 18-1 overall including wins in seven straight games but finds itself in a tough and unique situation today. The Sparks are coming off a six-game homestand and this game starts a nine-game roadtrip that goes into September and this is the first of five games in ten days prior to the Olympic break. Going back, the Sky are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win while the Sparks are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win. 10* (656) Chicago Sky

We played against Los Angeles on Wednesday and will do so again here with another large point spread. Los Angeles opened the season 11-0 before losing against Minnesota but has now won six straight games and leads the Western Conference by two games over the Lynx. The schedule has set up will for the Sparks who are their sixth game of a six-game homestand before embarking on a nine-game roadtrip over a span of nearly two months overlapping the Rio Olympics. The Sparks have yet to cover this season at home against a team with a losing record, going 0-5 ATS and going back, they are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 28 games against teams with a losing straight up record. Washington got off to a horrible start this season with losses in six of its first eight games but went on a 7-2 run to get back on track but have now lost two straight, both coming on the road. Surprisingly, both came against losing teams and going back, the Mystics are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning straight up record. While road revenge is never a big factor in playing on a team, Washington lost at home by 30 points to the Sparks in the first meeting and that is hard to forget. 10* (659) Washington Mystics

New York snuck out a win over Seattle on Wednesday and hits the road where it has an 8-2 record on the highway which is tied for second best in the WNBA. The Liberty have won all six road games when they are favored but come in as the underdog here and when getting points, they are just 2-4, both straight up and against the number. They have covered just twice in their last seven games following a win and going back, the Liberty are 1-4-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a losing straight up record. Chicago has had a tough first half of the season as it is now just 7-10 after a loss at Minnesota on Tuesday. Similar to the Liberty being favored, the Sky have struggled as underdogs, losing all six games in that role but have won four of five games when favored at home. The extra time off only helps as the Sky are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games playing on two days of rest. They lost the first meeting in New York by a point and will be getting their revenge tonight. 10* (654) Chicago Sky

We are taking the big underdog of the night as Indiana comes to Los Angeles looking for something good to happen after a disappointing stat to the season. The Fever are coming off a loss at home against San Antonio in overtime, allowing the Stars to win their first road game of the season after starting 0-8. That shows how disappointing it has been, especially after coming just one game away from the WNBA Championship last season. Los Angeles opened the season 11-0 before losing against Minnesota but has now won five straight games and leads the Western Conference by a game and a half over the Lynx. The schedule has set up will for the Sparks who are their fifth game of a six-game homestand before embarking on a nine-game roadtrip over a span of nearly two months overlapping the Rio Olympics. Indiana is 4-1 ATS this season when getting five or more points while the Sparks are 1-5 ATS as double-digit favorites and yet to cover this season at home against a team with a losing record and going back, they are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games against teams with a losing straight up record. Additionally, the Fever are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss while going 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 games playing on three or more days of rest. 10* (655) Indiana Fever

After a surprisingly great start to the season, Atlanta has fallen on some tough times as it has dropped six straight games after an 8-3 start. The schedule has not been on their side however as four of those games came on the road while one home loss came against Phoenix and the other came against New York in overtime. The spot is goof here though as they are playing with revenge while going back, the Dream are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games playing with one day of rest while going 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against the Western Conference. Seattle lost its last game against Dallas which snapped a two-game winning streak and now the Storm hit the road following a four-game homestand with this being the first game in 19 days. They are just 2-5 on the highway straight up and have failed to cover four of their last five on the road. Playing with a long layoff does not help matters either as the Storm are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 games playing on three or more days of rest. Atlanta has a decisive edge on the boards as it is second in the league in rebounding while the Storm are dead last in that category. 10* (602) Atlanta Dream

After a rough start to the season, Washington has turned things around with wins in five of its last six games as well as victories in seven of its last nine. The schedule has set up well however as the Mystics have played their last five games at home with the last road game coming on June 14th. From a betting perspective, they have covered eight of their last nine games which sends the value to the other side. Chicago has been a major disappointment this season as it is 6-9 overall which includes a run of 1-5 over its last six games. The Sky have covered just once over that stretch and the schedule has been pretty much the opposite of Washington as eight of their last 11 games have come on the road. Their six home games is the fewest in the WNBA and while they are just 3-3 in those games, two losses came against Minnesota and Los Angeles which are a combined 28-4. Chicago has easily taken the first two meetings this season and we can expect a repeat of that here. 10* (654) Chicago Sky

After a record breaking 13-0 start to the season, Minnesota has dropped its last two games including an embarrassing 24-point loss at Washington last time out. The Lynx are now back home where they may be laying a big number against a quality opponent but in this case, it is justified. They had their eight-game home winning streak ended against Los Angeles almost a week ago so motivation will not be an issue tonight. New York is coming off an overtime loss against Phoenix, its third overtime game in its last four and that defeat snapped a six-game winning streak. The Liberty have lost only once on the road this season which came against another quality team, the Sparks, and that resulted in a 23-point setback. They have played a soft schedule for the most part and have struggled against the better completion as they have failed to cover all three games this season when playing as underdogs and going back, the Liberty are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning straight up record. They head to Minnesota at the worst possible time so laying the big number here is a non-issue. 10* (656) Minnesota Lynx

There are two winless teams on the road in the WNBA, one being San Antonio which is not a surprise but you would not expect Phoenix to be the other. The Mercury are 0-6 on the highway and while two losses came against Minnesota and another against Los Angeles, there really is no excuse for them to lose to Dallas, Seattle and Indiana. Overall, they have dropped three straight games but face a Washington team they have defeated six of the last seven meetings including a 93-77 win at the end of last month. The Mystics have been on a solid run with three straight wins and victories in five of their last six overall. They have covered all six of those games and that gives us value going the other way as does the fact that the last two wins have come by 30 and 14 points. While Phoenix has underachieved thus far, it has five players averaging double-figures in points scored so the potential is obviously there. On the other side, despite a .500 record, the Mystics are eighth in the WNBA in points per game (81.7) and seventh in the points allowed (84.3). Look for the Mercury to finally break through on the road tonight. 10* (651) Phoenix Mercury

After a six-game losing streak starting toward the end of last month, Dallas has now won three straight games including a pair of upsets over Phoenix in its last two contests. The Wins have covered four straight games and are seeing a pretty gig line to cover tonight. While they were favored by more points in the first meeting last month, they failed to cover as they defeated the Stars by just five points. San Antonio has dropped three straight games but covered the last two and while it has a league-worst 2-10 record, six of those losses came by single digits while another came in overtime. While San Antonio is winless on the road, it has covered four of the five games which shows it has been competitive with the lone exception being a loss at Phoenix earlier this month. San Antonio has shot above 40 percent from the field in the last four games after failing to reach that percentage in six of its first eight games. On the season, the Stars are getting outshot by just 2.7 percent while Dallas is getting outshot by 7.0 percent and that is a significant variance. The Stars are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Wings are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win. 10* (601) San Antonio Stars

Atlanta is coming off a humiliating loss at Washington by 30 points, allowing the Mystics to win their first home game of the season. The Dream are now back home for this afternoon matchup and are catching a good number. They are 4-2 at home this season and at 8-4, they are tied with New York for first place in the Eastern Conference. This is a good bounceback opportunity as going back, the Dream are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss. The Liberty have won four straight games and the brutal schedule may seem to come to an end but it does not get any easier. This is the sixth road game over the last seven games overall and of the next five games, three are on the road. The opposition really makes it difficult as New York has Chicago, Phoenix twice, Minnesota and Los Angeles in that stretch so the possibility of a lookahead is certainly there. While the Liberty have been solid on the road, they are 0-4 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (652) Atlanta Dream

Washington is still in search of its first home win on the season as it comes in 0-5 compared to having a very solid 5-2 record on the road. Two of those home losses have come against Minnesota and Los Angeles which are both off to 11-0 starts and while today will be a tough test as well, the situation is a great one. The Mystics are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning straight up record. Atlanta is 8-3 which is good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Dream have won two straight games including a 101-97 victory at home over Chicago last night in overtime to coming off of that will be a challenge. This is just the second road game this month for Atlanta and this is the only instance all season where it will be playing on back-to-back days. Going back, the Dream are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games playing with no rest while Washington has been off for three days giving it a big edge on that front. Look for the Mystics to finally break through on their home floor tonight. 10* (602) Washington Mystics

Los Angeles is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the WNBA as it is riding a perfect 10-0 record which is actually a half-game behind Minnesota for the best record in the league. Seven of those 10 wins have come by double-digits and they have failed to cover just two games all season as the Sparks are riding a four-game undefeated ATS streak. That is giving us value on Phoenix which is finally playing better after opening the season 0-4. The Mercury have yet to win on the road which is a big reason this line has gotten higher since its opening and the public is riding that. Los Angeles failed to cover its lone home game against a team with a losing record and going back, the Sparks are 7-15-1 ATS in their last 23 games against teams with a losing straight up record. There is also a huge lookahead factor here as Los Angeles has back-to-back games against Minnesota on deck. 10* (655) Phoenix Mercury

After representing the Eastern Conference in the WNBA Finals a season ago, Indiana is off to a surprisingly slow start this year as it comes in with a 4-5 record. This is a similar start to last season when the Fever opened 3-6 but then caught fire the rest of the way and today present a great opportunity to start a repeat run. They are coming off a home loss against Chicago on Friday but going back, the Fever are 6-0 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss. We played against Seattle on Friday as it lost in Connecticut, giving the Sun their first home win on the season. Seattle is 1-3 on the road and has been outscored by 10 ppg in those four games and the road has been an issue for a long time now. Looking back to the 2014 season, the Storm are 7-31 over their last 38 games on the highway and they catch Indiana at the wrong time. Earlier this month, Indiana was coming off a nine-point loss to Atlanta and took care of Seattle here by 10 points and we can expect an even bigger blowout tonight as the Storm are 3-13 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Indiana. 10* (604) Indiana Fever

Connecticut came through for us last night as the Sun won for the first time on their home floor which leaves Washington as the only team in the WNBA yet to win on its home court. Getting that maiden victory against the defending WNBA Champions will not be easy but with the line given to us, we are not even concerned about the outright win. The Mystics enter this game with a 0-4 record at home which is pretty baffling considering their 4-2 road record that includes two straight wins. Washington is a very young team and it needs to be noted that three of the four home losses came in its first three games of the season when the team had not had a chance to gel and since then, the schedulemakers have done no favors with six of the last seven games taking place on the highway. Minnesota is coming off a win last night in Atlanta and it was not even close as the Lynx won by 22 points and that was without Seimone Augustus who is expected to return tonight after going through concussion protocol. The Lynx are battling with the Sparks as the only two remaining undefeated teams in the league and this is a big reason the line is what it is. This is the first time all season Minnesota is playing with no rest so it is in a difficult spot and going back, the Lynx are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a losing straight up record while the Mystics are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning straight up record. 10* (652) Washington Mystics

Connecticut, along with Washington, are the only teams in the WNBA that have yet to win a game at home. The Sun are 0-4 on their home floor but three of those came against top level competition while the fourth came in overtime against the Mystics in their first home game of the season. The spot tonight sets up very well for Connecticut which will be out for revenge following a 12-point loss at Seattle two weeks ago as a 5.5-point underdog and now being a home underdog represents enormous line value. Seattle has had a wacky season thus far as it has just two other wins in addition to the victory over the Sun and both of those came against Phoenix which is currently off to a very tough start. The Storm are coming off a home loss against New York five days ago and this is just the second road game since May 20. This is the start of a four-game roadtrip and with the 1-2 road record this season, the Storm are 7-30 over their last 37 road games. While this is a different team, and one that has great future potential, making them a road favorite is a little too aggressive despite the early struggles at home for Connecticut. The Sun are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss while the Storm are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against the Eastern Conference. 10* (602) Connecticut Sun

The Sparks are one of two undefeated teams in the WNBA, defending champion Minnesota being the other, and they look to make it an 8-0 start as they host New York in the second of two meetings this season. Taking nothing away from the undefeated start but Los Angeles has played a relatively easy schedule as five of seven wins have come against teams projected to finish in the bottom five of the league. A road win a Chicago was very impressive as was the win at New York but they were fortunate there as they came back from an eight-point deficit with just over a minute left in regulation to force overtime. The Liberty are on a two-game winning streak following a three-game skid, two of those losses coming in overtime and the other coming against Minnesota. New York is 2-0 on the road and while this is the biggest road test thus far, we are getting and taking the value with the line here. New York has owned this series over the years and while these teams have changed along the way, the Liberty have done their best on the highway of late, going 9-2 ATS over their last 11 road games while Los Angeles is just 15-35-1 ATS in its last 51 home games. 10* (653) New York Liberty

Phoenix is off to a very slow start this season but it is starting to turn the corner. After dropping their first four games of the season, the Mercury have won two in a row and are set up in a great spot to keep that going. Two of those losses came against defending WNBA Champion Minnesota while another came at home by just one points against Seattle which sets up a solid revenge situation tonight and while road revenge is typically not a big factor, the Storm provide very little home court advantage. They are just 1-2 at home this season with the lone win coming against 1-5 Connecticut and while the future is very bright after drafting Breanna Stewart, the Storm are still a year away. Steward and Jewell Lloyd and averaging 18.2 ppg and 18.3 ppg to pace the offense and they are both the No. 1 overall pick the last two seasons which shows how young this team is and how good it will soon become. Phoenix is coming off its most efficient effort offensively last time out as all five starters scored in double-figures and the highest scoring offense should have little trouble here avenging that earlier season loss. Phoenix had won nine straight meetings prior to that and going back, it has covered four straight meetings in Seattle. 10* (607) Phoenix Mercury

After winning the WNBA Championship last season which was its third in five years, Minnesota is starting right where it left off as it is 5-0 and looks for its fourth road win of the early season. The Lynx are coming off a win over Indiana where they almost blew a big lead but held on for the three-point victory and tonight will be no easy task. Yet, they are favored on the road once again and while the lengthy layoff may seem beneficial, the Lynx are 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games playing on three or more days of rest. New York is off a bigger layoff and has been stewing since last Tuesday. The Liberty lost in overtime at home against Atlanta which was their second straight overtime loss at home following a 2-0 start to the season. The fact they are home underdogs is not surprising based on their opponent but this is one team they have had success against and the matchups do not lie. New York won both meetings last season and is a team that can again shut down the potent Minnesota offense. The Liberty have the best defense in the WNBA, holding teams to 33 percent shooting and that should be the difference tonight. 10* (652) New York Liberty

This is the first meeting this season since the WNBA Finals from a season ago when Minnesota defeated Indiana in five games to capture the crown. The Fever certainly have some motivation from that but that is not part of this play at all as road revenge is never a factor but in this case, the line value is too much to overlook. Minnesota is off to a 4-0 start and is again the favorite to win another championship but this is a bad spot with a horrible line it is dealing with. The Lynx are coming off a perfect 3-0 roadtrip but have had just a day to recover from the travel and on deck is a game at New York which is also a revenge game for Minnesota. Indiana has had the luxury of playing its first three games of the season at home but it has had a winning record on the highway each of the last two seasons so this is far from a daunting spot and the motivation level should be at a high level as well. The Fever have not been a double-digit underdog since August of 2014 and there is no reason there should be here. 10* (603) Indiana Fever

The Sparks are off to a perfect 4-0 start, both straight up and against the number but this will not last all season and they are in a tough spot tonight. Los Angeles concludes its four-game roadtrip with a trip to Connecticut and it has been a busy piled into a short time period as this is the fourth game in seven days and knowing they are heading home after this can be mental liability. Going back, the Sparks are 5-13-1 ATS in their last 19 games against teams with a losing straight up record. Connecticut has started the season with a 1-2 record following a loss last time out in overtime against Washington which was its home opener. It has been three years since the Sun last made the playoffs but the future is very bright. Their first loss of the season came at Chicago by 23 points but they were without Camille Little who returned for the last two games and the difference has been very evident. Connecticut has put in a new system under head coach Curt Miller and after the preseason and three regular season games, we should see significant improvements. The Sparks are close to a double-digit road favorite which is a huge number to laying on the highway and it is due to the results of the first four games. 10* (652) Connecticut Sun

After opening the season with a blowout victory over Connecticut, Chicago has dropped its last two games including a road upset at Atlanta on Sunday. The other defeat came at home against Minnesota by 17 points and while the Lynx are arguably the best team in the WNBA, home losses like that are not taken lightly especially for the Sky which should end of being one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles is off to a great start as it has won its first three games, the first two coming by 30 points and the last one coming in overtime on Saturday at New York. We had the Liberty in that one and it was a tough loss as they blew an eight-point lead with just over a minute left in regulation. The Sparks have covered all three games and they come in as a road favorite here which is a big aggressive as they closed as the underdog against New York after opening as a road favorite there as well. Going back, the Sparks are 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a losing straight up record and the Sky should be plenty motivated here after losing both meetings last season by 11 and 12 points. 10* (654) Chicago Sky

We played against Los Angeles last night and it backfired bigtime as the Sparks won their second straight game of the season by 30 points. The first came against Seattle, a team projected to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference and Washington is looking far from the team that will be going to the postseason for a fourth consecutive season. Los Angeles will now be challenged for the first time this season as New York is also off to a 2-0 start. The Liberty defeated Dallas in their most recent game at home and they are in a great scheduling spot here has they have been off since last Sunday while Los Angeles is in the second of a back-to-back set. The Sparks have not opened a season 3-0 since 2003 and going back to last season, they are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games playing with no rest. Last season, they won just five of 19 games as underdogs and this is the first time in this role this season. The rest should pay off for New York which is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games playing on three or more days rest. 10* (652) New York Liberty

Washington is off to a 0-2 start after losses to New York and Dallas, both by double-digits, and now the Mystics are already a public fade which we are seeing with this line tonight. They are not at full strength but they are now a home underdog for the third time this season after being a home underdog just twice last year and the number tonight is the biggest of the bunch by a wide margin. Los Angeles is playing its first game since Sunday which resulted in a 30-point victory against Seattle which is pegged to be one of the worst teams in the WNBA following a 10-24 record a season ago. The Sparks were paced by Candice Parker who scored 34 points and they were a different team with her last season after she returned from missing the early part of the season. Still, they went just 5-13 ATS last season as road favorites and while an argument can be made they should be the favorite here, it should not be by this much. Going back, the Sparks are 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games against teams with a losing straight up record. 10* (602) Washington Mystics

Connecticut opened its season with a blowout loss at Chicago but that was expected as the Sun came into that game as double-digit underdogs. Now they hit the road as favorites this afternoon which may seem overaggressive but it is for a reason. Despite the outcome last Saturday, Connecticut has the ability to be an above average team as it is vastly improved from its 15-19 record from last season as far as personnel goes. The Sun had a great draft and most important, they have Chiney Ogwumike back after she missed all of last season with a knee injury. She did not do much against Chicago but expect that to change here. San Antonio is coming off a tough overtime loss against Atlanta so while that may seem like a positive defeat, the Dream are the second worst team in the league just ahead of the Stars. San Antonio finished last season with the worst record in the WNBA at 8-26 while winning just five of 29 games as an underdog. Connecticut won and covered its only game last season as a road favorite and has covered four of its last five games after a loss while the Stars have failed to cover six straight home games. 10* (651) Connecticut Sun

We played against Washington on Saturday and while it held its own for a while, it was unable to keep up late and lost to New York by nine points. This is not the same team the Mystics have had on the floor and not the same team that we will see shortly as injuries and commitments abroad have left them far from full strength. The good news is they have had three days off and have yet to travel. Emma Meesseman certainly had an off day but that can be blamed on the fact she had just gotten back from Belgium and was clearly not back on U.S. time. Stefanie Dolson was also held in check as the duo were held to a combined 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting as the Liberty recorded a 42-22 advantage in the paint. Washington should have an easier time tonight though. Dallas meanwhile has yet to play at home and after pulling off a big upset at Indiana in its first game since relocating from Tulsa, it fell to New York the next day. The Wings are without Glory Johnson for the next five games and their star Skylar Diggins remains questionable after missing the first two games because of ACL rehab. Even if she goes tonight, she will be limited and not close to 100 percent. 10* (606) Washington Mystics

Los Angeles and Seattle open their seasons on Sunday in a matinee this afternoon and while we typically do not lay big numbers, we will make the exception here. The Sparks went just 14-20 last season but made the playoffs because of the bottom half mediocrity of the West. So even though they were bailed out by that, the biggest factor for a playoff run was Candice Parker who came back after missing the first part of the season. Without her, Los Angeles went 3-15 and with her, it went 11-5 so she is clearly a difference maker. Breanna Stewart could likely be the next big WNBA but do not expect things to be easy early on in her career. Seattle is a very young team that went just 10-24 last season and while the future looks bright, it will not be a big turnaround this season. Seattle was just 2-15 on the highway a season ago and is just 6-28 on the road over the last two seasons. We can factor in some revenge here as well. Seattle won just 10 games last season and four of those were against the Sparks as they swept the season series so Los Angeles will be out for some payback in its opener. 10* (652) Los Angeles Sparks

New York failed to capitalize on owning the best regular season record in the WNBA last season as it lost to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Liberty added some firepower to the roster during the offseason and that will be big early with Epiphanny Prince coming off knee surgery in the offseason. New York was the only team to post double-digit road victories a year ago with an 11-6 mark. Washington finished 18-16 last season and made it to the playoffs for the third straight season before losing to the Liberty in the Conference Semifinals. This team is extremely young and even more so now with the loss of point guard Ivory Latta, the Mystics leading scorer from last season. While Washington should again be strong on defense, New York actually got better on that side of the ball coming off a season where the Liberty led the WNBA in scoring defense at 71.1 ppg and held opponents to a league-low 39 percent shooting. 10* (603) New York Liberty

This has been a highly competitive series with the first four games being decided by six points or less including the last game with the Fever winning at home by six points to keep their season alive. I think that changes tonight and we are getting the best number of the series at home for Minnesota. The Lynx bounced back from a Game One loss at home with a Game Two victory and we will see another bounceback tonight as they are now 2-0 in the playoffs following a loss and going back, Minnesota is 6-1 in its last seven playoff games following a loss. The Lynx are 17-5 at home and they will be out for payback from a prior season as they lost to Indiana three games to one in the 2012 WNBA Finals and while that may seem meaningless, four of the five starters from that team still start for Minnesota so that memory is still stuck in their heads. Veterans Lindsey Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson, along with Moore, form a core that has been to the finals four times in the last five years and there is a sense of urgency for the Lynx that they have reached the apex and are close to the end. Minnesota falls into a solid situation as we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after allowing 70 points or more in two straight games going up against an opponent after a win by six points or less. This situation is 73-37 ATS (66.4 percent) since 1997. Additionally, Indiana is 4-13 ATS in its last 17 games after playing two consecutive games as favorite while Minnesota is 23-12 ATS in its last 35 home games revenging a road loss versus opponent. 10* (610) Minnesota Lynx

We won with Minnesota on Friday as we were able to avoid overtime thanks to a game winning three-pointer as time expired. The Lynx can clinch the WNBA Championship tonight with a victory but This series ends up going the distance as Indiana keeps its hope of a championship alive with a victory. The Fever opened this series with an upset over Minnesota but they have dropped the last two games with each being competitive enough that could have gone either way and Indiana could feasibly be in the drivers seat right now. The Fever are now 13-7 at home as they had their four-game home winning streak snapped and since a rough 1-4 start at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, they have won 12 of their last 15 games here. Minnesota improved to 11-9 on the road but it has been unable to put together consecutive strong efforts on the highway and going back, the Lynx are 1-8 ATS in their last nine road games following a road win while Indiana is now 6-2-2 in its last 10 games against winning teams. Additionally, the Fever fall into a great spot as we play on favorites that are averaging 77 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after two straight wins by six points or less. This situation is 23-6 ATS (79.3 percent) since 1997. 10* (608) Indiana Fever

We lost with Minnesota in Game One of this series and after passing Game Two, which would have resulted in a push, we will again back Minnesota as an outright win means a cover here and I am expecting an outright win to regain home court advantage in this WNBA Finals. The Lynx are clearly a better home team than road team despite losing the series opener on their home floor but this is just the third road game this entire season where they are at full strength. Indiana has won four straight games at home to move to 13-6 but it has lost three straight meetings with Minnesota in this series at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This was the pivotal game back in 2012 when Indiana won it only WNBA Championship as it won Game One and lost Game Two but went on to roll in Game Three. While some players may be different, the core of that Minnesota team is still intact and they no doubt will use that game as motivation knowing that they cannot let that happen again or they once again may not make it out of Indiana. The winner of Game Three has gone on to win the championship 70 percent of the time since the series went to a best-of-five format in 2005 so it is certainly big for both sides. From a talent standpoint, Minnesota is the better team and I expect the better team to take this crucial contest and take hold of this series. 10* (605) Minnesota Lynx

The fact that Indiana defeated New York in the Eastern Conference Finals was not that much of a surprise. The Fever finished just three games behind the Liberty and they matched up really well with them as they took four of the five regular season meetings as well as the two wins in the playoffs so that as not a matchup New York needed to have. Now, the tide turns as Indiana has not fared very well against Minnesota as the Lynx have beaten the Fever in nine consecutive regular-season games since 2011. Minnesota closed the regular season pretty average as it went 7-8 over its final 15 regular season games but caught fire at the right times as it has gone 4-1 in the playoffs. Part of the success is due to the starting lineup finally being at full strength as the unit did not come together until the very first postseason game and now having five games together, this is a scary good team. Minnesota falls into a great situation as we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are coming off a road win, playing with three or more days rest. This situation is 31-10 ATS (75.6 percent) over the last five seasons. Indiana is just 10-24 ATS in its last 34 road games coming off a road conference win while Minnesota is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 home games after a win by three points or less. 10* (602) Minnesota Lynx

We played on Phoenix in Game One and lost by a bucket as Minnesota was able to pull away at the end thanks to free throws. Now the Mercury on back on their home floor in need of a win to prevent the sweep and ending their season. The home dominance in this series continued Thursday as the host has taken all six meetings this season and going back to last season, the home team has won 12 in a row. Phoenix is 14-4 at home this season including wins in four straight with the latest being a 33-point thrashing of Tulsa in its lone home playoff game. Phoenix has covered five straight meetings at home in this series, winning four by double-digits and the five coming by an average of 13.2 ppg. The Mercury have an awesome situation on their side as well as we play on favorites that are revenging a loss versus opponent going up against an opponent after two consecutive covers as a favorite. This situation is 74-37 ATS (66.7 percent) since 1997. Meanwhile, Minnesota is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 road games against teams averaging 73 or more ppg while going 0-6 ATS this season after covering two straight games. 10* (658) Phoenix Mercury