Unrivaled Best Bets Today: 2 of the best Unrivaled Picks for Friday, January 31

Key Points
  • SJ breaks down her best best for the January 31 Unrivaled games

It's Friday, and you know what that means. Unrivaled is back, and there are two games on the slate tonight!

 (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

With week 3 set to begin, the Rose (1-3) and Phantom (1-3) will kick start the night. Set to face off for the first time this season, both teams will aim to move up in the wins column. While the Rose has been relatively healthy, the Phantom has been without Marina Mabrey and Sabrina Ionescu. Will the return of Ionescu be enough to put Phantom over the top?

There's a highly anticipated showdown between the Lunar Owls (4-0) and the Laces (4-0) for the late-night matchup. Arguably, both of the hottest teams in Unrivaled are undefeated!  It's crucial to note Jackie Young has yet to make her Unrivaled season debut.

Things are about to heat up in South Beach amid WNBA free agency! As predicted before the season, the Laces were my top choice to win the Championship. With stakes high tonight, let's look at the DraftKings Unrivaled schedule and odds for Friday, January 31.

  • Rose (-115 ML) vs Phantom (-115 ML): O/U 135.5
  • Lunar Owls (-154 ML) vs Laces (+120 ML): O/U 147.5*Jackie Young is now questionable*

Unrivaled Injury Report for January 31

Rose

  • Brittney Sykes: OUT (Leg)

Phantom

  • Marina Mabrey: OUT (Leg)

Lunar Owls

  • None

Laces

  • Alyssa Thomas (OUT)
  • Jackie Young (QUESTIONABLE)

Unrivaled Odds Are Current As of January 31 at 9 A.M. ET

If you're interested in betting on Unrivaled Women's 3-on-3 basketball, you've come to the right place! With two games on the map tonight, we have an exciting pair of matchups ahead! Available to bet on DraftKings in select locations, I recommend playing each bet as separate wages. That way, we keep responsible betting and bankroll management at the forefront.

For all my bettors, the Rose and Phantom will tip-off at 7:15 p.m. ET. Set to begin at 8:15 p.m. ET, the Lunar Owls and Laces will be featured as the late night matchup. For full visibility, both matchups will air on TNT with a pre and post game show included!Let's tap into my two best bets, picks, and predictions for the Friday, January 31 Unrivaled matchups.

Are you looking to bet on Unrivaled and basketbal? Here at Ballislife Bets, we've gathered a complete list of the best sports betting offers here. 

Moneyline Best Bet: Rose vs Phantom

  • Rose ML (-115 DraftKings)

My first bet best for the Unrivaled games, I placed one unit on the Rose to win the moneyline outright vs the Phantom.

Set to face off for the first time all season, both teams are desperately searching for their second win. With the Rose and Phantom sharing a 1-3 moneyline record, they find themselves in the bottom of the standings.

Led by head coach and Dallas Wings assistant Nola Henry, the Rose doesn't typically represent a 1-3 team.  Earning their first dub in week two, Rose defeated the Mist 71-66. With Kahleah Copper leading the way with 18 points, the Rose had four players score in double figures. Having shot 42.9 percent from the three, this is a sneaky good team, and here's why.

Headlined by Angel Reese, Kahleah Copper, and Chelsey Gray as starters, the Rose have a solid bench. If you haven't heard of Lexie Hull and Azurá Stevens, they are important players to keep an eye on. It was Hull and Stevens who combined for a crucial 35 points in ten minutes vs the Mist. Most impressively, the Rose held Jewel Loyd and Rickea Jackson to 3-21 from the floor.

Sabrina Ionescu Is Back in Action For Phantom

If we breakdown the Rose 71-64 loss vs the Laces to conclude week two, there's some good and bad to take away. Sure, the Rose shot a dreadful 31.1 % from the field, and 22.2 % from deep. Aside from Brittney Sykes and Angel Reese, everyone struggled. That included Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper. If we look at the matchup the Laces are one of the best teams in the league, especially on the defensive side.

Also an offensive powerhouse of a team, the Rose held the Laces to 39.6 % field goal shooting. Sure, the Laces were missing Alyssa Thomas. However, as terrible as they shot, they came within seven points of the victory. The real difference in this game was 21 personal fouls committed by the Rose.

  • With the Rose averaging 69.5 points per game, they faced a Laces team remains one of the best defensive teams in the league.

The Phantom Struggle On The Defensive Side

With the hopeful return of Ionescu in the lineup for Phantom, I do believe these two teams should be more evenly matched. As we've seen in the past Brittney Griner has been a matchup headache in the paint. Even with Griner in the lineup, Phantom struggles the most on the boards. I'm not exaggerating when I say the Phantom struggle when it comes to rebounding. They find themselves last in the league in rebounds per game (29), and that includes a high turnover rate (10.3).

I understand this Phantom team hasn't been fully healthy and together. While the three-point shot is there, Satou Sabally has shown vast improvement from week 1. Even so, the Phantom rank last in points per game (62.3). Plus, two of the six players on Phantom are making huge headlines among the WNBA free agency world. With Brittney Griner headed to the Atlanta Dream, and Natasha Cloud headed to the Connecticut, how much focus will remain on tonight's matchup?

Blown out 82-58 by the Lunar Owls in their last matchup, the Phantom were once again without Ionescu. Losing Natisha Hiedeman to the Laces, the Phantom's main weakness is their defense. Giving up 80+ points in three of their four games, the Phantom are giving up over 80 points per game.

On paper, the Phantom have a ton of talent with Sabally, Griner, and Ionescu, and Cloud. The question remains, can Katie Lou Samuelson, who's averaging 6.5 points per game, add a spark off the bench. Cloud's been in a slump, and improving out of that would help the Phantom tremendously.

Final Unrivaled Best Bet Pick and Prediction Today: Rose ML (-115 DraftKings)

Overall, I'm going with the Rose tonight. We all know how hard this team fights, and Chelsea Gray doesn't having losing in her DNA. They remained close in games, and haven't lost by more than 10 points. While Brittney Sykes will not lace up, that will certainly impact the Rose bench.

One of the more efficient teams on the offensive board, the Rose aren't the best bunch of the league. However, with Gray at the helm, this team some serious snipers.

  • Give me Rose moneyline tonight.

Spread Best Bet: Lunar Owls vs Laces

  • Lunar Owls -3.5 (-115 DraftKings)

My second best bet for today, I placed one unit on the Lunar Owls to cover the -3.5 spread vs the Laces.

I did make this bet prior to the recent injury report, and I still love it. It was just announced by Unrivaled that Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young remain out for the Laces. Now they face a fully healthy Owls squad as the underdogs.

I always love to bet on the underdog, and I'm a huge fan of the Laces. However, the Lunar Owls are a complete masterclass of a team. Led by Napheesa Collier, they remain undefeated. With Collier leading the league with 28.5 points and 13 rebounds per game, can anyone stop the Owls?

With a +47 point differential over the first four games, the Owls have an average win victory of 11.8 points per game. That's impressive, as they've collected victories over the Mist, Rose, Phantom and Vinyl.

With Collier, Allisha Gray, and Skylar Diggins-Smith as the starters, this team is scary good. I may add they are doing all this on a short five player rotation with Cameron Brink out. Possessing incredible size with Collier and Shakira Austin, this is a defensive minded team that leads the league with 2.8 blocks per game. Not only is rim protection a strength of this team, the guard combo is incredible.

  • Let's face it, Courtney Williams is coming off the bench, that's how strong this team is. Leading Unrivaled with 78 points per game, there's plenty of offense to go around.

Can The Laces Survive Without Alyssa Thomas?

Tonight won't be a walk in the park for either teams. Both are undefeated for a reason, although the absence of Thomas will drastically change the dynamic. The engine on both sides of the ball, Thomas is a difference maker in getting downhill and creating turnovers. Averaging a double-double, her absence absolutely changes the course.

Either way, we get to see the battle of the best, and that includes Minnesota Lynx teammates Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride. With a 69+ point differential, that's an average spread of 17.3 points per game. How can we forget their 38 point dominance over the Phantom, and 20 point victory over the Mist?

With injuries, the Laces have cooled off a bit. Although remaining in the wins column, the Laces escaped with a four point victory and seven point win over the Rose last week. Even without Thomas, this team is stacked. Kayla McBride is playing out of her mind, and Tiffany Hayes is a walking billboard for WNBA free agency. With Stefanie Dolson holding down the paint, this team excels incredibly well in spacing and transition.

With that said, we saw the Laces struggle on the offensive end without Thomas against the Rose. Having shot 39.6 % from the floor, and 29.2 % from deep, McBride and Hayes shot a combined 18-42 from the floor. Now they face a Lunar Owls team that allows 66.3 points per game.

Final Unrivaled Best Bet Pick and Prediction Today: Lunar Owls -3.5 (-115 DraftKings)

In fact, the Lunar Owls limited the Mist and Vinyl to 66 and 57 points in week 2. Overall, this is a team of seasoned veteran players. Excellent in taking care of the ball, the Lunar Owls average more assists than any team in Unrivaled (14.3). Playing unselfish basketball, this team simply clicks.

Overall, I'm taking the Owls -3.5 tonight. Collier is a huge reason why this team has flowed so well together, and is coming off a 19 point, 17 rebounds performance. Whiles the Laces are the better team on the boards, I believe they suffer their first loss without Thomas in the lineup.

  • Give me the Lunar Owls to cover the -3.5 spread. 

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