WNBA Best Bets: Games and Player Updates Preview and Predictions
Transcript
00:00A triple header of WNBA action on this Tuesday night that we
00:09preview for you on the early line on Sports Grid. DRS, it
00:14should be a good week of WNBA games. We will have history
00:18later this week as well in Boston. In fact, it is tonight
00:23if I am not mistaken between the Connecticut Sun and the LA
00:27Sparks. But first, we start with the WNBA's best team at
00:30home back in Brooklyn, 23-4. That's the New York Liberty.
00:35They have been victorious in each of their first two games
00:38following the long Olympic break. Make that six straight
00:41wins as you date back to the action in the middle of July.
00:45The Liberty getting ready to host the Dallas Wings tonight
00:48at home. It is a 12.5 point spread in favor of New York
00:53inside the Barclays Center. Total of 176.5. Yeah, probably
00:58going to be an absolute roll job tonight. By the way, let me
01:00ask you this question. Following along with the WNBA,
01:03they had that long break. Some teams have played I think as
01:06many as 28 games. How many is it? 40? How long is the season
01:10itself? Is it 40 games? 40. Yeah, for a second consecutive
01:14year, they are playing 40 WNBA regular season games. Yes,
01:18there have been teams that have already hit 28 games. That
01:21would include the Fever 13 and 15, the Mercury 15 and 13
01:26rather, and the Atlanta Dream 9 and 17. But there are still
01:31some teams, for instance, the Connecticut Sun play tonight
01:3419 and 7, only 26 games. Everybody has played at least
01:3826 though. Yeah, you're a little condensed here in the
01:41month of August. Should be fun to watch, but if you're looking
01:43at favorites, the same way we talk about like a major league
01:45baseball season, Ben, you have the haves and the have-nots
01:48late in the season. Teams start to round in the form knowing
01:50that they're headed for a championship or headed for
01:52probably not even making the postseason. You take a look at
01:54the Liberty and the Wings. That should be a blowout victory to
01:57me. We'll get to some other games here on the schedule a
01:59little bit later in this, but for my money, I'm taking a look
02:02at the teams that absolutely know they need to win and
02:05that's the Liberty to stay up top. I think they blow it out
02:07tonight. When you look at the Dallas Wings though, because
02:11there are only 12 teams in the WNBA and the top eight make the
02:15postseason. Last year, we had four teams go into the playoffs
02:18with a winning record. Four were sub 500 and still made the
02:21playoffs. Going to be tougher to do that right now. Indiana
02:24and Chicago, both would be playoff teams if the season
02:27ended today. Both below 500, but the Fever playing such better
02:31basketball since a 2-9 start, of course. They have won 11 of
02:36their last 17 games. Dallas at this moment behind Chicago by
02:41four and a half games. They have to start turning it on.
02:44They have one of the best bucket getters in all of the
02:46WNBA, Enrique Aguilera, but New York continues to keep pace.
02:5123 wins, 23 and 4 right now. The only team that has reached
02:55a 20-win benchmark in the W and they have 23. So as I said,
03:00history tonight in Beantown. It is the first ever WNBA game
03:05ever contested inside TD Garden in Boston. The Sun get ready to
03:09host the Los Angeles Sparks who are on a four-game skid.
03:14Connecticut a 13 and a half point home favorite, although
03:17home is in Boston this time around. 157 and a half is that
03:22overrunner. Yeah, I don't think the Sparks even going to show
03:25up in this game and quite frankly coming right out of the
03:26break, just getting pasted. They're getting basically two
03:29touchdowns here at the guard of the Connecticut Sun. Once again,
03:32the haves and the have-nots. Sparks are done for the season.
03:35The Connecticut Sun are still playing for something.
03:37Obviously, I think the Sun blow them out of the water too. 20
03:40plus points in the WNBA blowout. Yeah, I don't mind that
03:44look DRS. I think the enthusiasm is going to be sky high inside
03:48TD Garden. Of course, we know Connecticut is the best
03:50defensive team in the WNBA. I would keep an eye on that total
03:54right before the Olympic break. We saw a big trade in the W.
03:58The sky sent Marina Mabry to Connecticut. She adds on some
04:02perimeter shooting for this Sun team that if they are going to
04:05contend for a WNBA championship needs to add it up a little bit
04:09from deep. Two and a half. Her three-point prop tonight. Keep
04:12an eye on the over. Dawana Bonner has been great all year
04:15for Connecticut. Has looked rejuvenated since the long
04:18all-star at Olympic break. Sixteen and a half is her
04:21points prop tonight. So, the Liberty in front of the Aces
04:25now at plus 120 to win a WNBA title. Las Vegas and New York,
04:30of course, who faced off last year in the WNBA finals were
04:34co-favorites after the Olympic break at plus 155. A little bit
04:38of separation now for New York in front of Vegas. Yeah, it is
04:42kind of interesting with that move because a lot of the times
04:44even looking and handicapping the NBA itself, you're not
04:47really worried about the record. It's just how these
04:49teams are going to show up and what you feel they can be in
04:51the playoffs. Now, we're starting to separate ourselves
04:53here with the Liberty 23 and four on the season. They do look
04:57like the best team as opposed to the Aces were saying maybe
05:00they have the best player and that's what shows up in the
05:03playoffs and that was represented. Of course, the
05:06Libs went into Vegas and knocked off the Aces inside a
05:09very difficult place to win the Michelob Ultra Arena on
05:13Saturday night winning by double digits. Seventy-nine
05:16sixty-seven. The Seattle Storm and the Washington Mystics that
05:19rounds out our triple header on this Tuesday in the W.