WNBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (5/17)
The 2025 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) regular season started with a bang last night as the Valkyries made their league debut, only to be stifled by Kelsey Plum's Sparks debut. I'll be coming at you twice weekly - Saturdays and Mondays - to give you my best WNBA bets and hopefully provide some winners.
Last year in this series, we had a profitable season, and I hope to do the same for you again in 2025. Of course, as a reminder, I must advise you to shop around for the best WNBA props and keep track of lineup news. Staying on track of news is a great way to stay ahead of the market and shopping around will help with the seasonal return on investment.
Let’s get today’s best WNBA bets.
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Saturday’s Best WNBA Picks
Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty
A rematch of last year’s semi-finals featuring the defending champion Liberty is a great way to kick off a season. The Liberty sits around a 4.5-point favorite with the total at 168.
After a disappointing outing for the Aces last year, there's a clear chip on their shoulder in trying to return to WNBA stardom. They only won a single game in their seven tries against the Liberty last year, and with the addition of Jewell Loyd and the departure of Kelsey Plum, it will be interesting to see how the guard fits in the rotation. The preseason was solid with efficient outings in the minutes she played.
For the Liberty, it's hard to argue against them being favored to repeat. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton may be out the entire year, but the addition of Natasha Cloud is going to be big for New York, and they already have so many heavy hitters that they should be fine.
If this game is anything like last year, it should be all New York. They had a +366 scoring differential and made the most threes in the league. Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu lead the way, but Cloud will help with facilitating, and Jonquel Jones is great in the frontcourt as an elite rebounder.
I'm trusting priors and will get a feel for the changes and their impacts before making big changes to betting strategy. I'm sticking with the favorite here at home as they open up the season with fewer bigger changes to their roster. The Aces will have a big hole to fill without Plum, and I don't think they'll immediately fill it against the best team in the league.
Picks: Liberty -4 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever kick off their season with the most hype among any team in the league, ranked as the second-highest title favorite at some sportsbooks. Caitlin Clark leads the way, but they also added former All-Star DeWanna Bonner and defensive stalwart Natasha Howard, both expected to start today. They have a lot of depth, and their offense is set to be electric.
Chicago isn't exactly coming into the season with high expectations, ranking in the range of ninth to 11th in the league, depending on where you look. Angel Reese is a star, and they brought over former Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh to manage the helm. Offensively, things should look a bit better with Courtney Vandersloot back in Chicago and Ariel Atkins adding to the backcourt coming over from Washington.
A year ago, Indiana ranked as a top-three offense and the best in the league over their last 15 games. Chicago ranked as the worst offense in that same time frame and eighth on the season. There's only one way but up for Chicago's offense, and the total reflects last year’s stats. The Fever’s defense finished 10th, so these were some of the worst defenses in the league. With all the hype, I expect the Fever’s offense to be top-notch and start the season off with a bang.
Picks: Over 169 Points (-110 at FanDuel Sportsbook)