credit:
The Seattle Storm high-five during a game against the Chicago Sky at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images)
update:
August 16, 2024, 8:55 a.m. EDT
There are three W matches scheduled for Friday night, and our experts are ready for every match that gets underway: Jewel Loyd and the Seattle Storm visit Atlanta to take on the Dream in two matches starting at 7:30 PM ET, while in Indiana, Caitlin Clark and the Fever take on the Phoenix Mercury in the second matchup of a back-to-back.
Then, at 9:30pm ET, the Connecticut Sun will try to win against the Wings in Dallas.
Before tonight's games officially begin, our experts will be sharing their best WNBA bets for Friday, August 16. Check out their predictions below.
Best WNBA bets for Friday, August 16
Michael Fiddle's best bets for Sun vs. Wings
Michael Fiddle
The Connecticut Sun are a team looking to make a serious title push later in the season. They acquired Marina Mabry from the Sky just before the break, and both Thomas and Bonner have been playing great basketball. With Alyssa Thomas getting an extra day of playing time since the Olympic break, and the rest of the team getting stronger, I expect the Sun to cover the spread here.
With the move to the over, I think the Suns should be able to score more with more spacing, but the spread isn't moving, so instead of using the indicator to chase the 4-point momentum of the total move, I'll take the remaining opening line of the spread.
Pick: Sun -5.5
Andrew O'Connor Watts' Best Mercury vs Fever Bets
Andrew O'Connor Watts
The idea was to weaken teams with more Olympians after the Olympics, since they would likely be less rested than a team like the Fever, who didn't have any representatives in Paris. But with Thursday's games, this didn't seem to matter much, with all three championship-favorite teams (and teams with more Olympians than their opponents) covering every game. But the Mercury are on the road to Indiana on a back-to-back after their win in Chicago.
The Fever have also won two meetings with the Mercury this season, with one of those wins coming early in the season amid the Fever's grueling schedule.
I expect this trend to continue, but my model shows a big upside up to -2.5, so I’ll bet on Indiana for the first half.
Pick: Fever 1H -1.5
Michael Fiddle's best Storm vs Dream bets
Michael Fiddle
This is a textbook market view for a situation where I am willing to pay some money to play the ML. The Storm are clearly favored in the market, but the line has moved to a number I don't want to chase. Instead of playing the spread and forcing Seattle to cover the long number, I skip the points and take the money line. I often emphasize that bettors should not increase their exposure as the price rises, but rather reduce their reward. I risk 0.5 to 1 unit on the ML for the Seattle Storm. If the number is above -325, I skip the bet. This is based on the current odds board, not a randomly selected price rise.
Pick: Storm ML -300
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