New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts during the second half of a WNBA game against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena on July 13, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The WNBA returns from the Olympic hiatus on Thursday, August 15. The league-leading New York Liberty have a huge road advantage against the struggling Los Angeles Sparks. See odds, predictions and picks for New York Liberty vs. Los Angeles Sparks on August 15.
The WNBA's nearly month-long Olympic hiatus will conclude with three games on Thursday. In the nightcap, the league-leading New York Liberty (21-4, 9-3 away, 12-13 ATS) visit the Los Angeles Sparks (6-18, 4-8 home, 11-12-1 ATS) at crypto.com Arena at 6pm PT/9pm ET.
Los Angeles is having a season they'd rather forget, and the odds for Thursday's Liberty-Sparks game suggest things will get worse before they get better, with the visiting team favored by double digits against the spread.
New York Liberty vs Los Angeles Sparks odds
Team Spread Money Line Total New York Liberty -11 (-110) -625 O 164.5 (-108) LA Sparks +11 (-110) +455 U 164.5 (-112)
New York is currently an 11-point road favorite with a moneyline of -625. The Sparks come back as +455 underdogs at home with an over/under of 164.5. The Liberty is 13-12 with an over/under this season while LA is 10-14 with an O/U.
DraftKings odds as of August 14. Before you bet on Liberty vs Sparks, be sure to lock in one of DraftKings' promotions.
Despite an impressive 21-4 record, 2.5 games behind the Connecticut Sun, the Liberty are the second-best favorite to win the WNBA championship behind two-time defending champions Las Vegas.
Liberty hopes to pick up where it left off
New York entered the break on a four-game winning streak, including two wins over the Suns, who have the second-best win-loss record so far this season. Even more impressive, the last two victories came without reigning center Breanna Stewart, the two-time WNBA MVP.
Stewart was in full action during the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics and should be fully recovered for Thursday's match.
New York guard Sabrina Ionescu continues on her path to superstardom this season. She currently leads the Liberty in scoring (19.8 PPG) and assists (6.1 APG), while also averaging 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. She is attempting 8.3 3-pointers per game, shooting 35.7% from the field. Only Dallas' Areke Ogunbowale (8.7) has a higher 3-point shooting percentage.
In the previous two meetings against the Sparks in New York this season, the Liberty won by 13 and 10 points, respectively.
ESPN BET Promo Code DIME: How to Secure $1,000 for Your First Bet Reset on MLB
Sparks enter All-Star break looking competitive
Los Angeles has won just two of its last five games before the break but has lost three of its last four by single digits. Growing pains were expected with the departure of last season's top two scorers, Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle) and Jordan Canada (Atlanta).
Ball-heavy forward Dearica Hamby is having the best season of her career, averaging a team-high 19.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. The Wake Forest product had never averaged more than 13 points or 7.6 rebounds per game in her first eight seasons in the league.
NY Liberty vs LA Sparks player predictions
Player Points Rebounds Assists 3-Pointers Made Aari McDonald (LA) 9.5 (Ov -120 | Un -110) OFF 4.5 (Ov +130 | Un -166) OFF Azura Stevens (LA) 12.5 (Ov -105 | Un -125) 6.5 (Ov +105 | Un -135) OFF OFF Brianna Stewart (NY) 20.5 (Ov -110 | Un -120) 9.5 (Ov +120 | Un -154) 3.5 (Ov -130 | Un -100) 1.5 (Ov) +120 | Un -160) DeArica Hamby (LA) 18.5 (Ov -115 | Un -115) 9.5 (Ov -100 | Un -130) OFF OFF Jonkel Jones (NY) 15.5 (Ov -105 | Un -125) 8.5 (Ov -164 | Un +110) Off 1.5 (Ov +150 | Un -210) Rikea Jackson (LA) 11.5 (Ov -130 | Un -100) 4.5 (Ov +150 | Un -210) -110 | Un -120) Off Off Sabrina Ionescu (NY) 20.5 (Ov -120 | Un -110) 4.5 (Ov -125 | Un -105) 5.5 (Ov -140 | Un +110) 2.5 (Ov -190 | Un -110) Un +140)
In my roster predictions for Liberty vs. Sparks, Stewart and Ionescu are projected to score a game-high 20.5 points, while Hamby is the top scorer among L.A. players with 18.5 points. Stewart and Hamby are also projected to have the highest rebounding totals with an O/U of 9.5 points.
New York Liberty vs Los Angeles Sparks Predictions
I like the Liberty's composition and, with all due respect to A'ja Wilson, I see New York as the favorite to win the WNBA at this point, but 11 points is a big number in a road opener against a hard-working, if not super-talented, team.
The Sparks are 3-4 in their last seven home games, including two wins against Las Vegas, with only one of those four losses coming by double digits.
NYL vs LAS picks:
Sparks +11 (-110) Ionescu Under 20.5 points (-110) Sacha Park
NFL NBA MLB NHL NCAAF NCAAB Politics Tennis MMA Sportsbook Gambling Editor in Chief
Editor in Chief
Sasha has been working in the sports betting industry since 2014 and has quickly combined his strong writing skills with a rapidly growing knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and a Juris Doctorate from the University of British Columbia.
NFL NBA MLB NHL NCAAF NCAAB Politics Tennis MMA Sportsbook Gambling
Sasha has been working in the sports betting industry since 2014 and has quickly combined his strong writing skills with a rapidly growing knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and a Juris Doctorate from the University of British Columbia.
