There is an exciting slate of WNBA games on Friday night. Three matchups highlight some of the most intriguing teams in the league. Let's take a look at some of those matchups for our best WNBA picks for Friday night.
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Friday’s Best WNBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Toronto Tempo at Connecticut Sun
The Tempo heads to Connecticut to take on the Sun in Friday’s first matchup. The Tempo will be without leading scorer Brittney Sykes in its matchup against the last-place team in Net Rating. However, the caliber of opponent rarely matters when a team is as bad defensively as Toronto.
The Tempo ranks second-to-last in defensive rating and field goal rate allowed. This had led to them allowing 100.8 points per game (PPG) in their last four contests, including a 106-102 victory over this same Sun team.
In that game, both teams shot well and lived at the free-throw line. Combined, the teams attempted 80 free throws. This was consistent with both teams being in the bottom four in free-throw attempts allowed per game.
Toronto, which is also one of the best free-throw teams in the league, should continue to have no issue getting to the line, where they shoot 83.5%, second-best in the WNBA. Connecticut has another opportunity to score above its season totals. Offensively, they've been a bit better as of late, averaging 83.6 points over their last five games, which is nearly four points above their season total.
With their leading scorer out, Toronto may not find things as easy on offense as usual, but against a Connecticut team that loves to foul a lot and plays poor defense, they should still have success.
The Sun, despite sitting at the bottom of the league standings, has played better on offense recently, including a 102-point outing against this same Toronto team. Will we see quite that much scoring? Perhaps not, but this game should still easily clear this number.
Pick: Over 167.5 Points (-112)
Minnesota Lynx at Golden State Valkyries
One of the biggest early-season matchups will take place in San Francisco on Friday night. The first-place Lynx, who are an impressive 13-2 against the spread (ATS), will travel to take on a Valkyries team that is hot on their trail in the standings.
These two met in Minnesota two weeks ago when the Lynx took the 87-84 win behind a massive outburst by Olivia Miles. That turned out to be a breakout moment for the star rookie.
The Lynx rode a 50% shooting rate from deep to squeak by in that first meeting. Although that's quite an impressive feat they likely won't replicate, they are still the best three-point team in the league (39%), even though they attempt the third-fewest threes per game (20.5). Minnesota may struggle to replicate a dominant performance on the boards and double up the Valkyries at the free-throw line.
The Valkyries will look to bottle Miles up with their third-ranked defense. However, this will be a very tall task against a Minnesota team that is elite at nearly everything.
The Lynx are first place in both effective field-goal rate offense and defense. It's the reason they are 12-3 straight up (SU) and 13-2 ATS. Their losses are typically defensive lapses, which don't happen often. But against a team that executes as well as Golden State on offense, we could see it again.
The Valkyries should receive a boost at home. The initial matchup between these teams saw a massive gap in some key stats. Season averages indicate that this was a bit of an anomaly.
Miles will also continue to be a star for the Lynx, but Golden State should be more equipped to focus on her after her breakout performance. Regardless, this will be one of the best games of the early season, but I'll be backing the home underdog.
Pick: Valkyries +2.5 (-106)
