The Seattle Storm and the Minnesota Lynx retired the jerseys of Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles respectively on Sunday, and both of those retirements were earned, as those players led their teams to WNBA glory. However, these ceremonies stand in stark contrast with where the teams are now, as both clubs are near the bottom of the standings of the young 2023 season. Seattle lost Breanna Stewart to free agency and Bird to retirement, and while they beat the L.A. Sparks on Tuesday, that was just their first win of the season. The Minnesota Lynx victimized the same Sparks team for their own first win of the season on Sunday. Are both of these teams headed to the lottery for a longer rebuild? Only time will tell. In the meantime, check out our WNBA betting picks for this coming week.
WNBA Betting Analysis for Games of the Week
Atlanta Dream at N.Y. Liberty
When: Tuesday, June 13, 8:00 pm ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
TV / Streaming: CBS Sports
The Liberty (6-2) prepare to host the Dream (2-5) after taking down the Dallas Wings, 102-93, on Sunday, behind 32 points from Brianna Stewart. The Dream have a decent offense so far this year, scoring 82.6 points per game, good for fourth in the WNBA. The problems for them come on defense, as they allow the second-most points per game (86.3). They have a -1.0 rebound margin per game through their first seven contests, and they turn the ball over a lot (16.1 per game, second most in the league). They take just under 31 percent of their shots from behind the arc, and just over 26 percent of their made baskets come from distance.
Ionescu was unstoppable in Friday’s game as the Liberty torched the Dream on the road, 106-83, scoring 37 points, including 20 in the second quarter alone. In addition to her and Stewart’s performances, Jonquel Jones scored 11 points, and Courtney Vandersloot chipped in 11 assists. The Liberty went into the locker room at halftime up by 22, and while the Dream crept within seven late in the third quarter, the outcome never really seemed in doubt. Liberty to win.
Bet on the Dream vs Liberty!
L.A. Sparks at Dallas Wings
When: Wednesday, June 14, 1:00 pm ET
Where: College Park Center, Arlington
TV / Streaming: NBA TV
Dallas (5-4) actually led New York at the half by six on Sunday before the Liberty rode Breanna Stewart for 13 points in the third period. The Liberty had tied the game at 60 midway through the third period and then went on a 19-5 run to take control of the game. In the two games before taking on the Liberty, Dallas had beaten the Phoenix Mercury in a pair of back-to-back games that saw Britney Griner return to Texas for the first time since her imprisonment in Russia, and the fan support for Griner made the Wings’ arena seem like a home game for the Mercury. Even so, the Wings prevailed.
In Sunday’s loss, Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 25 points. Satou Sabally contributed 17 points and 11 boards. Ogunbowale had 13 points in the first quarter, and Sabally had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half alone. The Wings are 4-0 at home and 1-4 on the road, so coming back to their home arena should deliver a charge. The Sparks (4-4) have lost three of their last four, including that 91-86 loss in Minnesota on Sunday. Wings to win.
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