The Los Angeles Sparks look to salvage what is left of their forgettable season when it plays host to league-leaders New York Liberty this Thursday, August 15, 2024, at the Crypto.com Arena.
Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
Losers of 13 of their last 15, the Sparks have found themselves near the bottom heading into the final stretch and the road does not get easier as they take on a Liberty squad that has beaten them twice this season.
New York, which is currently riding a four-game winning streak, beat Los Angeles by an average margin of 11.5 points earlier this season.
So, it comes as no surprise that the latest Los Angeles Sparks vs New York Liberty betting lines have the latter pulling off a dominant road victory. Will the Sparks prove the doubters wrong and overcome the odds or will the Liberty continue their mastery of the former?
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Keep scrolling as we check how both teams look heading into this exciting matchup.
Los Angeles Sparks
vs
New York Liberty
WNBA Odds for August 15
Moneyline
- Los Angeles Sparks: +455
- New York Liberty: -625
Spread
- Los Angeles Sparks: +11 (-110)
- New York Liberty: -11 (110)
Over/Under (Total)
- OVER 164.5 (-110)
- UNDER 164.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Sparks
vs
New York Liberty
Injury Report
Los Angeles Sparks Injury Report
- Lexie Brown – Out
- Cameron Brink – Out
New York Liberty Injury Report
- Betnijah Laney-Hamilton – Right Knee – Day-to-Day
Best odds for
Los Angeles Sparks
vs
New York Liberty
- The Los Angeles Sparks have covered the spread in four of their six previous matchups with the New York Liberty. The best Los Angeles Sparks vs New York Liberty odds for the home team to cover the +11 spread is -110 on DraftKings.
- The New York Liberty is among the best Against-The-Spread (ATS) road teams in the league. Bet365 offers the best odds for the Liberty to cover the -11 spread at -110.
- The New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks have hit the over in their three previous matchups. DraftKings offers the best odds for the over 164.5 at -110.
Why will the
Los Angeles Sparks
cover the spread?
After picking up a road victory against the Dallas Wings, the Los Angeles Sparks were well on track for their second consecutive win when it took a 73-71 lead against the Seattle Storm midway to the fourth.
But a searing 11-0 Storm run dampened the Sparks’ hopes of heading into the break on a high note as they wound up losing to the former 89-83.
Now, they return after a month-long break when they battle one of the hottest teams in the league in the New York Liberty. The Sparks opened as 11-point underdogs in most bookmakers and that has a lot to do with how they fared against the Liberty in their two previous matchups this season.
It is worth noting though that those two losses were in New York where the Liberty are virtually unbeatable this season.
- With the Sparks returning home in this game and New York’s dismal 10-14 ATS record as a betting favorite, there is some potential to picking Los Angeles to cover the +11 spread.
But for Los Angeles to do it, they will need to sustain their good play in all fourth quarters. In their previous two matchups, the Sparks were right there fighting tooth-and-nail with the Liberty before they ran out of gas.
Fortunately for Los Angeles, they will have more options this time against the Liberty with the return of versatile forward Azura Stevens.
- The 28-year old Stevens, who is averaging 11.7 points and 4.0 assists per game on 50% shooting from the three-point country, did not play in their two games against New York this season due to a left arm injury.
- In their most recent game against the Storm, Stevens filled up the stat sheet with a monster 24-point and 15-rebound double-double effort.
Why will the
New York Liberty
cover the spread?
After losing the WNBA Finals last season, the New York Liberty seems hell-bent on getting the job done this year as shown in their current play. Winners of nine of their past 10 games, the Liberty has beaten teams pretty handily this season.
- What’s even more impressive is their ability to cover the spread when playing away from home.
As far as ATS road records are concerned, the Liberty is among the best in the league with an 8-4 card. The same cannot be said for the Los Angeles Sparks who have been hit-or-miss at home this season with a 4-7-1 ATS record.
All things considered, leaning towards the Liberty to cover the -11 spread at -110 could be attractive to punters with how both teams currently look heading into this game.
However, for the Liberty to do so, they will need to cut down their turnovers, especially since they are playing away from New York.
In their previous two matchups with Los Angeles this season, they turned the ball over 28 times, which could prove detrimental to their chances of covering the spread if it happened again this game.
- New York will also need huge games from All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu to try and negate any offensive explosion from Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby.
- It can be recalled that Hamby was thorn to New York’s quest for the victory last time when the 30-year old exploded for 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists while shooting six-out-of-11 from the field.
Final
Los Angeles Sparks
vs
New York Liberty
Prediction: Los Angeles Sparks +11 (-110) Over 164.5 (-110)
On paper, there is no denying that the New York Liberty is a much better team than the Los Angeles Sparks. But the game is not played on paper and the last three times they faced, the Sparks managed to cover spread even after losing.
- That is why I am leaning towards the Sparks to cover the +11 spread in front of their home fans.
It is also worth noting that Liberty star players Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu head into this game just a week removed from the recently-concluded Paris Olympics.
Another thing I am looking for in this game is the Over 164.5 line.
- The Liberty is the second-best scoring team in the league.
- Los Angeles, on the other hand, is no slouch when it comes to putting the ball in the basket, averaging 78.8 points per game.
Oh, and both teams hit the over in the last three matchups.
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