WNBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (9/16)
Two potential series clinching Game 2's are taking place on Tuesday in the WNBA Playoffs. The Dream take on the Fever in the first game. Following that one, the Aces travel to Seattle to face off with the Storm. Let's take a deeper look at both games for some best bets.
Tuesday's Best WNBA Picks & Bets
(Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Atlanta Dream at Indiana Fever
What started out as a promising season with a lot of hype could come to an end in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. The Fever, who braved season-ending injuries to their stars, have their backs against the wall down 1-0 to Atlanta. The Dream have been winners of seven straight dating all the way back to August, including Sunday's 80-68 Game 1 win in Atlanta.
After splitting the regular season series, The Dream dominated the Fever in Game 1. With a lead ballooning as high as 16, the Dream held the Fever to 2-of-15 shooting from deep and 34.9% FG% overall. This tracks with how the Dream played all season. They were a strong FG% against team at 42.1% and limited 3PA to the lowest rate in the league. Opponents only attempted 30.4% of their field goals from beyond the arch.
Indiana is a team that shoots well from deep typically, but in the two games against Atlanta that Clark didn't play, the team shot just 17.9%. This was a huge reason they averaged just 63.0 PPG in those two games. Atlanta is the better team and they showed that in Game 1. I expect them to do the same and take care of business in Game 2 on the road. This should be another low scoring affair that the Dream win and cover.
Picks: Dream -3.5 (-110) & Under 159.5 Total Points (-105)
Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm
After looking like they were in cruise control for much of the regular season, the Las Vegas Aces turned it on in August. Las Vegas has won 17 consecutive games by an average of 13.1 PPG. This was a team that headed into their second game of August at .500 with a 14-14 record.
What really turned around for the Aces was the offense. It was clear, the subtraction of Kelsey Plum in the lineup affected the flow offensively in the first half of the season. Once they started shooting better and taking care of the ball, the scoring skyrocketed. They've scored 89.4 PPG over this span which encapsulates over one-third of the season. That number would be good enough for the best scoring average in the league by over three points.
Game 1 saw the Aces cruise to a 102-77 victory. They shot over 50% from the floor and made 14 three-pointers while assisting on 23 made shots. The offense was flowing and I don't expect that to change. Seattle will do what they can to stay alive in this one and at home they might against a defense that was still in the bottom half of the league in DRtg. I'm going to stay away from a side and just root for points and the Over.
Pick: Over 160.5 Total Points (-115)