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Mercury vs. Sparks: Bettings Odds & Stats

Sara Jane Gamelli 1968 August 23, 2023 No Comments

The Phoenix Mercury will matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks tonight. Here, you will find the WNBA betting odds, stats, and predictions for Wednesday, August 23rd.

Written & edited by

Sara Jane Gamelli

The Phoenix Mercury (9-23, 1-14 Away) will matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks (13-18, 8-8 Home) on the road tonight. The Sparks are coming off a four-game win streak, which includes an exhilarating victory over the Las Vegas Aces. Subsequently, Los Angeles retains the 8th and final playoff seed. Conversely, the Phoenix Mercury dropped three straight games, and remain outside of playoff contention.

With under three weeks to go in the traditional season, these two teams will matchup for the final time, in which the Sparks lead the series, 2-1. In this article, I will break down the WNBA Betting odds, stats, trends, and predictions. The game will begin at 10 PM EST, at Crypto.com Arena, located in Los Angeles, California. If you're looking to watch and bet on the game, it will air on CBSSN. If you are looking for the best betting odds, stats and analysis, here is information to know.

WNBA Betting: Phoenix Mercury vs. LA Sparks Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Los Angeles Sparks -10.5 (-108)

The Los Angeles Sparks remain one of the leading teams in the month of August. The Sparks, led by Head Coach Curt Miller, won four straight contests, and 6 of their last 10 games. Furthermore, Millers squad is 4-2 in the month of August, and 6-3 as of July 25th. Los Angeles, riddled with injuries for the entirety of the season, continues to hold the final playoff seed. In fact, with nine games left until playoffs, the purple and gold have a one game lead over Chicago for the 8th seed. Seeming to have inconsistency with starters, the Sparks once had 12 different starting lineups in the first 20 games. For the 6th straight game, Curt Miller has been able to coach a team with a consistent starting five.

Although the Sparks rank 11th in offensive efficiency, they've slowly climbed the ladder on the defensive end. Once one of lowest teams, in terms of defensive ratings, Los Angeles now ranks 4th in opponent points per game. Ranked second in the league, the Sparks are 2nd in opponent three-point (31.4), and free throw percentage (78.2). Led by All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, the Sparks are averaging an improbable 85 points per game, while holding the opposition to 77 points per game. During the hot streak, Los Angeles is shooting nearly 43 percent from the three, and 46 percent from the field.

Even though the Sparks are without Lexie Brown Nia Clouden, and others, they are playing with resilience, and are vigorous around the perimeter. Most recently, Millers team knocked off the top seed, the Las Vegas Aces, 78-72. Moreover, they became the only team in the WNBA to defeat the Aces on their homecourt and saw chances off turnovers.

Season Matchup's: Mercury vs. Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks lead the season series 2-1, in which they covered the spread the first two games. Though the second game was extended into overtime, both teams will be without key players. The Mercury will be without stars Diana Taurasi, and Brittney Griner, and the Sparks without Lexie Brown. For Phoenix, their two stars make up nearly 45 percent of the offense, which will be hard to replace. For Los Angeles, they will be without Lexie Brown, who scored a game-high 26 points in overtime, game 2 against the Mercury.

It's difficult to get a true sense of what this matchup will be, especially without fundamental players. In game three, Phoenix defeated the Sparks, who were without Clarendon, Brown, Clouden, and Samuelson. Nikki Blue, Interim Head Coach, will not have Griner available tonight, due to health and safety protocols. In their last contest, Griner scored a game-high 29 points, and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Why the Sparks can cover

Tonight, is as simple as it gets. One of the finest recent teams, will play a depleted Mercury squad. As mentioned before, Phoenix will be without stars Diana Taurasi, and Brittney Griner. Overall, the purple and orange are 3-7 in their last ten games, dropped three straight games, along with spread covereage. Comprehensively, the Mercury are 12-20-0 against the spread, and only covered in four of the last ten games played. In addition, Phoenix ranks near last on both sides of the ball. Ranked 10th in offense and defense, they are last in points, and field goal attempts per game. Guard Sophie Cunningham, Moriah Jefferson, Michaela Onyenwere, and Megan Gustafson will get the call tonight against the Sparks.

Curt Miller has always been a coach that's adapted to adversity. Once the head coach of the Connecticut Sun, Miller led the franchise to the WNBA finals in 2022, and six straight playoff appearances. As the Sparks barely hold onto the final playoff spot, they look to extend their win streak to five. As a team, Los Angeles is 15-14-2 against the spread, and covered in eight straight games. In addition, the Sparks have impressive spread covers against the Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, and the New York Liberty.

The starting unit for the Sparks is starting to gel, especially with Jordin Canada, Nneka Ogwumike, and Layshia Clarendon. These three players combined for 61 points against the Aces, and played admirable defense, especially on the perimeter. With the Sparks finally having some consistency, this is a textbook matchup, and should be able to dominate the moneyline and spread, especially with two opposing players out tonight. Look for the Sparks to continue to fight for a spot in the postseason.

Bonus: I'm, going with the under on this game.

Season Statistics & Betting Trends

Phoenix Mercury

  • Phoenix Mercury: 2-3 in their last 5 games.
  • 3-7 in their last 10 games.
  • ATS Record: 12-20-0
  • O/U Record: 13-18-1
  • 2-3 ATS in their last 5 games.
  • 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games.
  • O/U is 2-3 in the last 5 games.
  • O/U: 4-6 in the last 10 games.
  • 10th in Offensive Rating (97.7)
  • 10th in Defensive Rating (105.3)
  • 12th in Points Per Game (77.2)
  • 12th in Pace: 94.60
  • Opponent Points Per Game: 83.4 (7th)
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.2 % (10th)
  • Rebounds Per Game: 31.1 (12th)
  • Phoenix ATS won last 10 games:  Indiana (+5.5), Atlanta (+7.5), Washington (-3), Connecticut (-7.5)

Los Angeles Sparks

  • LA Sparks: 4-1 in their last 5 games.
  • 6-4 in their last 10 games.
  • ATS Record: 15-14-2
  • O/U Record: 13-18-0
  • 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games.
  • 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
  • O/U is 2-3 in the last 5 games.
  • O/U: 3-7 in the last 10 games.
  • 11th in Offensive Rating (97.5)
  • 6th in Defensive Rating (102.4)
  • 4th in Points Per Game (99.8)
  • 7th in Pace: 96.95
  • Opponent Points Per Game: 81(4th)
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.5 % (10th)
  • Rebounds Per Game: 32.8 (8th)
  • LA ATS won last 10 games:  Indiana (-2.5, +1), New York (+9, +8.5), Washington (+3, +2.5), Atlanta (+1), Las Vegas (+16.5)

Head-to-head stats: Mercury vs. Sparks

Season Matchups:

Game 1: Phoenix 78, Los Angeles 72 (Phoenix -1.5, Under 160)
Game 2: Los Angeles 99, Phoenix 93 OT (LA +3.5, Over 163.5)
Game 3: Los Angeles 94, Los Angeles 71 (LA -2, Over 155.5)

  • Los Angeles leads the season series 2-1.
  • The Sparks are 2-1 ATS vs. the Mercury this season
  • Game Points (AVG) last 10 matchups: 162
  • Mercury average points vs. Sparks last 10 games: 80
  • Sparks average points vs Mercury last 10 games: 83
  • Phoenix average points last 10 games: 79
  • Los Angeles average points last 10 games: 81

All Stats courtesy of the WNBA, ESPN, and SofaScore

Injuries

Phoenix Mercury

  • Diana Taurasi, Guard: OUT (Toe)
  • Brittney Griner, Center: OUT (illness)
  • Shey Peddy, Guard, OUT: (concussion)
  • Skylar Diggins-Smith: OUT

Los Angeles Sparks

  • Lexie Brown, Guard: OUT (illness)
  • Nia Clouden, Guard: OUT (knee)
  • Chiney Ogwumike, Forward: OUT (foot)
  • Katie Lou Samuelson, Foward: OUT

Stay tuned for more WNBA and betting related articles. Click here for more WNBA betting strategies.

Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter at BallisLife, and Sports Content Creator on Twitch. She has a focus on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane currently resides in Connecticut with her Cat and Dog. She is a Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, New York Yankees, and New York Giants fan. SJ has her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Economics.

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