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Los Angeles Sparks vs. New York Liberty: Betting Odds & Stats

Sara Jane Gamelli 3048 September 7, 2023 No Comments

The Los Angeles Sparks will matchup against the New York Liberty on the road tonight. With LA tied with the Sky for the 8th seed, tonight is a must win for the Sparks. Here, you will find the WNBA betting odds, stats, and predictions for Thursday, September 7.

Written and edited by

Sara Jane Gamelli

The Los Angeles Sparks (16-22, 6-12 Away) will face the New York Liberty (31-7, 14-4 Home) at the Barclays Center tonight. With two regular season games remaining, the Sparks are tied with the Chicago Sky for the 8th and final playoff spot. Plagued by injuries for a majority of the season, Los Angeles has several questionable players for tonight's game.

Both Nneka Ogwumike and Karlie Samuelson are on the injury report, listed as questionable for tonight's matchup. Together, they make up a combined 26 percent of the team's offense, which is 10th in the league. After winning six straight games in August, the Sparks have lost four of the last five, and covered the spread in just one matchup. For the Liberty, Coach Brondello's squad is coming off a seven-game win streak and have just one loss in the past ten games. Just one game trailing the Aces for the No. 1 Seed, New York looks to crown themselves as the finest team in the WNBA.

 In this article, I will break down the WNBA betting odds, statistics, trends, odds, and predictions. The matchup will begin at 7PM EST, at the Barclays Center, located in Brooklyn, New York. If you're Betting on the WNBA and interested in watching, the game will air on Amazon Prime Video. For the best betting odds, stats and analysis, here is information to know.

WNBA Daily Odds: Los Angeles Sparks vs. New York Liberty

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
(Brandon Todd/New York Liberty)

New York Liberty -13.5 (-110)

With two games left in the regular season, the New York Liberty established themselves as the most elite team since August. With zero injuries listed in tonight's matchup, New York has won seven straight games, and nine of their last ten. Since August, Sandy Brondello's team leads the league in win percentage (.923), and Offensive Rating (112.2), Defensive Rating (93.8), Net Rating (18.4) Assists/Turnover ratio (1.84), Rebound Percentage (53.5), Effective Field Goal Percentage (54.8), Assists per game (23.6), and points per matchup (89.9). Looking at that list of distinctions, it's hard to fade the Liberty at this time.

Led by Head Coach Sandy Brondello, New York is off to their best start in franchise history with a 31-7 record. Additionally, the franchise has an exceptional level of talent and depth on their roster. In the midst of a tight MVP race, Breanna Stewart is coming off a 40 point/ 10 rebound performance in their victory over the Dallas Wings. Additionally, multiple players of the Liberty expressed the importance of trusting one another when building chemistry. After an exhilarating 94-93 win over the Wings, it's evident the Liberty have several key players besides Breanna Stewart that contribute in various ways.

Curt Miller and the Sparks had the unfortunate luck of injuries all season. With two key players listed as questionable, Los Angeles dropped four of their last five games, in which they only score on average, 75 points a game. The Sparks are 7-6 since the month of August and climbed their way to the top defensively. With the resurgence of Jordin Canada and Layshia Clarendon, Los Angeles ranks fourth overall, and second in defensive efficiency since the beginning of last month.

Season Matchups

If you look at the recent matchups on paper, the Sparks have covered the spread in both defeats against New York. However, since the month of September, LA has dropped to 7th in defensive ratings, and 8th overall offensively. In the 90-76 fall against Connecticut, the purple and gold were without players Ogwumike and Samuelson.

Unable to produce a high volume of scoring, the Sparks rank last in the league in offensive production in the last five matchups. Furthermore, in those five games, Miller's squad ranks 10th in three-point percentage, 12th in field goal percentage, and allow nearly 11 opponent points off the fast break. Although they sealed an impressive victory over the Mystics, they will face a New York team that's elite in several categories. If Nneka is unable to suit up, look for Dearica Hamby to lace up tonight, who contributed 18 points last match. In two matchups this season, New York only holds a 15-point differential.

(Brandon Todd/New York Liberty)

Why the Liberty can cover the spread

With the regular season coming to a close, it's unclear if coach Brondello will rest a few of her starters and give the second unit some looks. As of this moment, Nneka Ogwumike and Karlie Samuelson still remain questionable for tonight's game. Overall, the Liberty are playing at an exclusive level, superior to any other team in the league. Since the All-Star break, New York leads the league in Net Rating, by a large margin. 19-19-0 against the spread this season, the Liberty are 4-0 ATS in home games since August 6th, and 10-8 against the spread at the Barclays.

For the Sparks, they stand at 18-18-0 against the spread overall. After covering the spread in ten straight games, LA has lost their "spark." Covering just once in five games, Los Angeles heads into a crucial must win scenario this evening. On the road, LA is 8-10-1 against the spread, and 0-2 on the road ATS as of August 27. Statistically, I would pick LA to cover, however, the Liberty are playing on another level.

Breanna Stewart O 9.5 REB (-125)

PPG: 23.3 | FG: 46.8 % | 3 PT: 35.9 % | FT: 84.7 % | REB: 9.4 | AST: 3.8 |STL: 1.5 | BLK: 1.6

(Brandon Todd/New York Liberty)

Normally I wouldn't pick any New York prop bets due to load management heading into the playoffs. However, Breanna Stewart is playing some of the best basketball of her career and is in a tight MVP race. Poised to be named most valuable player, Stewart is coming off a 40-point/10 rebound game against Dallas. Although over 9.5 rebounds hit just over 50 percent this season, Stewart has six straight games with rebounds in double figures. Additionally, Breanna Stewart grabbed 12 boards in their last matchup, and is averaging 10.5 rebounds in two games against LA.

Coming off 34 played minutes, there's zero signs of Stewart slowing down before the playoffs. No. 30 ranks third overall in rebounds and will face a Sparks team who allow opponents to grab over 35 boards a game. If Nneka Ogwumike is possibly out for tonight's game, that will give Stewart an advantage on the boards. In fact, LA is one of the least efficient teams on the rebounds, in which they only tally 31.5 a game. Since the month of August, Stewart ranks only behind Alyssa Thomas for the most rebounds per game in the league (9.8). Overall, this prop has hit 60 percent in the last ten games.

Season Statistics & Betting Trends

Los Angeles Sparks

  • Los Angeles Sparks: 1-4 in their last 5 games.
  • 5-4 in their last 10 games.
  • ATS Record: 18-18-0
  • O/U Record: 15-23-0
  • 1-4 in their last 5 games.
  • 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games.
  • O/U is 1-4 in the last 5 games.
  • O/U: 3-7 in the last 10 games.
  • 11th in Offensive Rating (97.4)
  • 4th in Defensive Rating (99.3)
  • 10th in Points Per Game (78.3)
  • 7th in Pace: 96.20
  • Opponent Points Per Game: 79.9 (2nd)
  • Three-Point Percentage: 33.2 (9th)
  • Rebounds Per Game: 31.5 (11th)
  • LA ATS won last 10 games: Indiana (+1), Atlanta (+1, -1.5), Las Vegas (+16.5), Phoenix (-11), Washington (+3)

New York Liberty

  • New York Liberty: 5-0 in their last 5 games.
  • 9-1 in their last 10 games.
  • ATS Record: 19-19-0
  • O/U Record: 21-17-0
  • 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.
  • 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games.
  • O/U is 3-2 in the last 5 games.
  • O/U: 5-5 in the last 10 games.
  • 2nd in Offensive Rating (109.3)
  • 2nd in Defensive Rating (98.5)
  • 2nd in Points Per Game (89.1)
  • 5th in Pace: 96.72
  • Opponent Points Per Game: 80.1 (3rd)
  • Three-Point Percentage: 37.2 % (2nd)
  • Rebounds Per Game: 38.1(2nd)
  • NY ATS won last 10 games: Indiana (-10, Las Vegas (+7.5, -2), Phoenix (-12.5), Minnesota (-9), Connecticut (-7.5), Chicago (-9).

Head-to-head stats: Sparks vs. Liberty

Season Matchups:

Game 1: New York 87, LA 79 (LA +9, Under 168.5)
Game 2: New York 76, Los Angeles 69 (LA +8,5, Under 167.5)

  • New York leads the season series 2-0
  • The Sparks are 2-0 ATS vs. the Liberty
  • Game Points (AVG) last two matchups: 155.5
  • Los Angeles average points last 10 games: 78
  • New York Angeles average points last 10 games: 91
  • Los Angeles average opponent points last 10 games: 75
  • New York average opponent points last 10 games: 77
  • Los Angeles average opponent points last 5 games: 77
  • New York average opponent points last 5 games: 76

Injuries

Los Angeles Sparks

  • Nneka Ogwumike, forward: Questionable (Knee)
  • Karlie Samuelson, forward: Questionable (abdomen)
  • Lexie Brown, guard: OUT (non-Covid illness)
  • Nia Clouden, guard: OUT(knee)
  • Chiney Ogwumike, forward: OUT (foot)
  • Katie Lou Samuelson, forward: OUT

New York Liberty

  • None

Main Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/New York Liberty

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 and TikTok. She has a focus on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane currently resides in Connecticut with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in business administration.

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