WNBA Finals Best Bets: Sunday (Game 2)
After an absolutely thrilling game in the WNBA Finals opening game, the Lynx take a surprising 1-0 game lead to New York as they face off against the Liberty this afternoon. It really is the best time of year with the WNBA playoffs, baseball playoffs, football, and the leaves are changing for spooky season. What a time to be alive. As always when betting, monitor any news and shop around for the best odds. This is the best way to get ahead of the books. The difference between -110 and -120 may not seem big, but it's a big difference throughout the rest of the season. Let's get to the best bets for today's playoff game.
Last Time: 0-2 | Season: 20-14
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Sunday’s Best WNBA Finals Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
New York Liberty -4 1H (-114)
After falling 1-0 in the series, the Liberty sit as a -7.5 point favorite in the game with a 162.5 point total. The Liberty are hungry for revenge and falling 2-0 here is not an option. My generally betting strategy here is to find different ways to back New York here. There's a reason they're such a big favorite after suffering a loss.
My pick here is their first half spread. The entire season, the Lynx set up better in the second half than the first. Their defense drops from second ranked overall to seventh comparing the two with the worst ranking in the first half. New York's offense conversely has been better earlier in games and that showed in game one, tagging 32 points in the opening quarter and I expect them to start hot.
The Lynx are absolutely a team that can grind you down and keep it close but the fatigue forced doesn't particularly show until the second half. The Liberty own the most efficient first half offense in the league and I'm betting on that showing up tonight.
Alternate Bets: Liberty 1Q Over 21.5 Points (-120), Liberty -3 1Q (-120)
Jonquel Jones 10+ Rebounds (-105)
If you look at any splits or time frame throughout the entire season, there was one thing that was consistent for this Liberty team and that was leading the league in dominating fashion, rebounding over a third of their misses and grabbing over 76% of defensive rebounds.
Jonquel Jones has been the team leader in rebounding for the Liberty, averaging around nine and grabbing 10 in the Finals opener. Where I expect the boost to be for Jones is on the defensive glass. Minnesota not only has been one of the bottom three offensive rebounding teams in the league but I fully expect their offensive efficiency to regress in the second game tonight.
Whether it's the Liberty defense stepping up or simply more misses tonight, the opportunities should be increased for Jones. I know it went into overtime but she played a full 39 minutes in Game 1 so I imagine she'll be on the court a lot today as well. This prop plays into my backing the Liberty, and feel free to bet further alts. Jones has gotten to 12-plus boards twice before against the Lynx this season.
Alternate Bets: Jonquel Jones 12+ Rebounds (+285)
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