WNBA Best Bets (July 28): Sparks vs. Liberty, Aces vs. Fire Odds & Predictions

The WNBA regular season resumes tonight with five games scheduled, three of which I am zeroed in on for tonight's Best Bets.

The Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics tip the night off in the nation's capital, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The Mystics look to carry momentum over from before the All-Star break, when they closed things out by winning their last two games. Washington is clinging to the eighth spot in the standings, and conceivably could end up in seventh place by the end of the night. The game will be available on League Pass.

Also on League Pass will be the Toronto Tempo and Minnesota Lynx, tipping at 8 p.m. ET. The Tempo are in 10th place, and are hoping the time off will help them shake free of a three-game skid. It doesn't help they're opening the second half of the campaign in Minnesota, where the first-place Lynx have the face of their franchise back in the lineup.

(Photo by Catalina Fragoso /NBAE via Getty Images)

Tuesday evening WNBA matchups

Tipping at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN will be Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm from the Pacific Northwest. The Fever enter the latter half of the campaign on a three-game win streak and within striking distance of the fourth-place spot.

A pair of 10 p.m. tips on the West Coast will also be available on League Pass, with the Portland Fire making their first-ever trip to Las Vegas to face the defending champion Aces, while the New York Liberty are in Los Angeles to play the Sparks. Las Vegas ended the first half with a disappointing loss to the Mystics in D.C., while the Fire have lost seven of 10 and will try to figure out what to do without one of their top scorers. The Liberty have their own problems, as they're in seventh place, holding off the Mystics, and can't afford to look past the Sparks and on to Thursday's game in Las Vegas.

WNBA Best Bets For July 28

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WNBA Betting Odds And Schedule For Tuesday, July 28

(All odds via FanDuel)

WNBA Best Bets: Toronto Tempo at Minnesota Lynx

• Spread: Toronto +16.5 (-118) | Minnesota -16.5 (-104)
• Moneyline: Toronto (+820) | Minnesota (-1600)
• Total: O/U 185.5 (-112/-108)

The Lynx are the No. 1 team in the league, and have been able to sustain their dominance through 27 of their first 28 games without the face of the franchise, Napheesa Collier. the Lynx rank second in the league with 91.5 points per game and with a shooting percentage of .480. That's scary when you consider what they've done without Collier. That offense just got better, as she returned for the final game of the first half with a double-double.

The dinged-up Tempo would certainly get a boost with the return of several faces, including rookie guard Kiki Rice. As of the 11:45 a.m. Eastern injury report, the Tempo have Isabelle Harrison (knee), Rice (ankle) and Nyara Sabally (ribs) listed as questionable. Any one of the three would provide a boost, while all three could bolster the offensive attack. The problem is on defense, where the Tempo allow the league's second-most 92.9 points per game.

• My Best Bet Prediction: Minnesota -16.5 (-104)

The Lynx aren't about to miss a beat with Collier feeling fresh after recovering from offseason surgery on both ankles. And while I know the Lynx have failed to cover their last nine games, I also know they've won seven in a row and are coming off much-needed rest. True, three players participated in the All-Star festivities, but I don't expect that to effect them. The Lynx won the first meeting, 100-72, back on May 21 and with a healthy bunch on their own court, will turn in another dominating effort against the expansion team.

WNBA Best Bets: New York Liberty at Los Angeles Sparks

• Spread: New York -4.5 (-115) | Los Angeles +4.5 (-105)
• Moneyline: New York (-188) | Los Angeles (+152)
• Total: O/U 182.5 (-114/-106)

Revenge is the name of the game in this one, as the Liberty lost to the Sparks in Los Angeles on June 21, when Nneka Ogwumike drained a buzzer beater on national TV in the league's 30th anniversary game. Fortunately for the Liberty, they appeared to turn things around after enduring a four-game skid by winning their final two games before the break, in Dallas and at home against the vastly improved Chicago Sky.

The missing piece to Los Angeles' puzzle at this point is Kelsey Plum. The veteran guard is the only one listed on the team's injury report. But if the Sparks want to make a run at the eighth spot in the standings, they're going to have to figure out how to put points on the board without Plum. The Sparks average 88.3 points per game, but in their last five against the Liberty, have scored 93.8.

• My Best Bet Prediction: Over 182.5 (-114)

The Sparks have the worst scoring defense in the WNBA, having allowed a league-high 93.3 points per game. And when you have a team like the Liberty coming in with a revenge mindset, you have to expect a high-scoring game. Can the Sparks respond? Well, since July 3, the Liberty have allowed the league's second-highest 93.9 ppg. Look for these two to run this total high.

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WNBA Best Bets: Portland Fire at Las Vegas Aces

• Spread: Portland +11.5 (-110) | Las Vegas -11.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Portland (+490) | Las Vegas (-750)
• Total: O/U 179.5 (-110/-110)

I'm not about to get into the sideshow that took place in Chicago with a couple of members of this team, as it got disgustingly ugly. That said, it might be because of that we see the best of the Aces tonight. Coach Becky Hammon isn't about to let distractions infiltrate her team, nor will star A'ja Wilson. The Aces are one-half game behind second-place Golden State, which also plays tonight, and can't afford to open the second half with a loss to an expansion team, two days before the Liberty arrive.

Portland took a major hit when Sarah Ashlee Barker was lost for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL. The second-year guard was enjoying a breakout season before suffering the injury, averaging 10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per outing. Carla Leite and Bridget Carleton are still in place, and can get hot from long range, but doing so in Vegas will be difficult with the Aces out to make an immediate statement.

• My Best Bet Prediction: Las Vegas -11.5 (-110)

The Aces are 5-3 when playing on three or more days rest. And, yes, they had a some players in Chicago for All-Star weekend, but as I said about the Lynx, that's not going to impact them tonight. In the first two meetings against the Fire, the Aces are 2-0 and have won by an average margin of 12.0 per win. That includes a June 11th meeting, when the Aces laid -11.5 and won by 16.

W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Analyst at Ballislife Bets. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez