After a brief hiatus, basketball is back.
The WNBA returned Thursday from a three-week break for the FIBA Women’s World Cup, as teams gear up for the postseason.
The Liberty open their final stretch of games with a huge test against the Lynx, who have the league’s best record and the No. 2 defense.
The Lynx entered the break on a two-game losing streak, which included their lowest-scoring game of the season, a 26-point drubbing against the Valkyries. The Liberty were 1-1, but also suffered a 19-point loss to the Valkyries in a game that ended with their lowest offensive output all year.
Sportsbooks have the Lynx listed as 6.5-point home favorites, so they expect them to return to the form that put them at the top of the standings all season. This is also the biggest underdog spot the Liberty have been in all season.
Liberty vs. Lynx prediction, best bets
At this point in the campaign, we know what to expect from the Lynx.
Olivia Miles has been awesome, arguably MVP-worthy if not for A’ja Wilson, and Napheesa Collier has fit right back in with the team since her season debut in late July.
The Liberty have been up and down all season as they’ve tried to adjust to a new head coach and offensive system, but are solidly in the mix among the better teams in the league with Breanna Stewart carrying the offense.
These two teams played each other close in their previous two meetings, with both sides holding home court, and there aren’t a ton of obvious advantages on either side of the matchup.
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From a betting standpoint, the Lynx have not been as good against the spread as their overall record suggests.
When the Lynx are 6.5-point favorites or higher, they are 5-12 ATS compared to 18-5 ATS when they are 5.5-point favorites or less. They’ve come out on the winning side of their games a ton this season, but they aren’t blowing teams away.
There’s also the rest vs. rust factor with all the time off since the league was last in action. The Lynx are 1-3 outright and ATS with four or more days off, while the Liberty are 4-2 and 3-3 ATS in that spot.
I’m leaning on the trends here and backing the Liberty to play the Lynx tough and cover this number on the road.
The Play: Liberty +6.5 (-105, BetMGM)
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
