WNBA Best Bets & Predictions | 8/30/24

Introduction to WNBA Today Welcome into WNBA today I'm Casey Hudson here with you on Sports Grid TV. And what better way to roll out WNBA today than when all of the teams are pulling out all the stops to mark their spots to get into the playoffs, which means we've got to talk about those key people that are going to help their Key MVP Candidates teams get into a potential successful playoff position. So welcome in to WNBA today here on Sports Grid TV. And in order to lay down the groundwork, we've got to talk about those major key players. Or as we know them when it comes to odds, lines and markets, your MVP players. So first, looking at the groundwork for everything for WNBA today in that future conversation, when it comes to MVP's, it's going to be A'ja Wilson. That's the front runner of this conversation. You're talking about a woman with a 97.5% chance of winning this category outright. But she's carrying a banged up team which is obviously going to up the ante for what and how she can deliver. But let's not just put it on the fact that her team's a bit banged up. No, it's the fact that she's also coming in hot about 26 plus points on average, 11 plus rebounds on average. And she's also equally as strong defensively, which can also, according to some people, maybe put her in the conversation for winning some sort of defensive MVP. But outside of Wilson and her tremendous performance and consistency and lockdown when it comes to that defensive side of the ball, you're also looking at Collier now. She's kind of made a massive leap when it comes to this topic and conversation for major keys and MVP. And why not? She's pulled through for her team. If they were in any sort of slumping position. She's been consistent when it comes to topping the charts. Statistically, not to mention is that she's coming back from an injury. She was banged up heading into the Olympic break. She comes back still weathering through some of those injuries. And then tends to go with this MVP all star performance, averaging a little over 25.5 points sitting at nine plus rebounds right there in the assist column and averaging 66.2% from the field. While shooting. Then we all know this name. So of course it's in the MVP conversation. When you're looking at the WNBA and it's going to be Caitlin Clark, somebody who just made history as a rookie for the most three pointers, making it look easy. And then before wearing this crown before grabbing this new notion to put on her accolades. She also was killing the league when it came to assists. So you're talking about somebody who's a massive threat not only for her, for her team, but to go up against, which we'll get into more of that later because we've got a massive showdown with Caitlin Clark tonight. But aside from all of those accolades, averaging 8.1 assists when it comes to rebounds, sitting a little over five rebounds and then coming up hot with 18 plus points. And if you guys have watched over the last couple of games she's made those 18 points look easy, even if it's been a slow start in the first half. She has pulled through for her team in the second half, and that's exactly what she's done in the last two games. Pivoting over from Clark, you have somebody who I thought would be higher up in this conversation. At least before the Olympic break, and it's going to be Sabrina. I oh, I know, excuse me. Really good in the point column averaging about 19 points kind of lower in the rebound column. But in certain games you've seen her actually come in a bit stronger when it comes to rebounds and being an alleviator when it comes to assist. Also again, before the all star break, she's somebody that I probably would have had over Collier, but Collier was injured. She wasn't obviously participating as much or putting up many numbers. So that changes when you've got Collier coming into the conversation. And then of course, you close out the major keys and MVP conversation with Breanna Stewart. 22 points making it look like no big deal. Eight and a half rebounds and 3.8 assists. So that's the foundation of our MVP conversation ladies are going to try to e championship. It about getting to that king of the postseason lot of or almost want to sces. I dt Playoff Contenders Analysis to see that if I'm being honest, and I don't t we're going to get struggle, you've seen them make those corrections quite fast and quite easy. But for the next team, sitting top of the odds or second place of the odds, it's going to be the aces and we've seen the aces struggling a lot as of late. More specifically in that defense column and where I look a little more at the aces and their ten, or their attempt to make a run at a title, this year is the fact that they're seven and ten on the road. And if we know anything about postseason, you've got to be able to show up. You've got to be able to produce, you've got to be consistent on the road. And the aces are just kind of sliding in their road games at probably the most crucial time of the season. So it'll be interesting to see how they start to make those corrections, coming off of a few tough losses. But I say a few because, look, they can probably bounce back and we'll talk about them further here down the stretch on WNBA today. Then we've got the team that I'm hoping gets in there. It's going to be the Minnesota Lynx for me for a number of reasons. The consistently hot performances obviously some of their top players showing up, they've got a number of players that can produce in that point column, but then also 28 and eight sitting top of the western Conference. I know it seemse what I said earlier with the Liberty almost an obvious choice in a number of ways and categories. How will they stack up defensively? But I think that they're checking the right boxes at the right time, which makes them maybe not the most obvious answer right now, but an answer that can probably get into the mix more steady. So sitting at plus 480 value, that's probably where I'm leaning more consistently when it comes to who I want to take this title right below them is going to be the Connecticut Sun. This has been an interesting teao watch. They kind of had a shaky start coming out of that Olympic break. They're really solid team defensively in a number of categories, but then they've just kind of fallen off. They lost to the dream a couple of weeks ago. There was a lot of question marks about how their performance was going to pick up, but I think that they started to do just that. I think they started to find their game again, started to pick things up. Second place in the Eastern Conference and sitting at a 22 and eight record, that's not a bad place to sneak in when it comes to the WNBA title conversation. Slightly below them, the Seattle Storm, another team that's just kind of fallen off. They can be so destructive offensively. I want to say when they want to be, because then you've got moments when they just absolutely don't show up. Another team that's kind of had a slippery slopes versus teams that are sitting bottom of the pack, but we're trying to give everybody a little bit of wiggle room from that Olympic break, and we're almost to the point where we can't even talk about the Olympics being an issue anymore. There should be no more fatigue. But regardless, we are now starting to see these teams get back into their rare form and their ability to produce back to that road conversation. This team is seven and seven on the road. If you can't win on the road, your postseason is likely going to get cut short. Then we wrap this with the Indiana Fever 15 and 16 right now, record wise six and 11 on the road. But they're climbing up the Western Conference. So they're really trying to make a case for themselves. But if Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell keep playing the way that they've been playing and contributing to their team, yeah, they're going to continue to make leaps and they're going to find themselves in a better conversation. And at better odds within this next week or two stretch. But we've Friday Night Game Previews got a nice slate ahead on this Friday night. We got the fever taking on the sky, which is ultimately probably going to be the rookie showdown between Caitlin Clark and Angela Reese. And that's what we're all looking forward to tonight. Next one is going to be the Lynx versus the wings. This total coming in at one 70.5. This one's kind of adjusted a little bit adjusted by a point more so. But even the total has kind of swung around. And we'll dive into that game in a little bit. And you got the Liberty versus the storm. This total went down by about a half. Also interesting line movement though. The spread was at about a point and a half a couple days ago. Now it's bumped up to a three last time I checked. But this is a game I want to keep close eyes on, and I can't wait to break this one down with you guys. Then we've got the dream versus the aces. This total coming in at one 65.5. And this spread also bumped up. You got the Dream's ability to cover a ten point spread. Though we did see that a number of times last week. And the previous week actually. So these are the line movements that we're going to have to break down so that we can find the best odds and angles so that we In-Depth Game Breakdown: Dream vs. Aces can put you in the best betting position possible. But we've got so much more. We're going to start with the dream versus the aces, because I kind of have a bone to pick. You've got the aces that still sit so high in this title conversation with favorable odds going for them, and I don't think that they're performing well enough. And I think that there's two teams, not just one. I think there's two teams that could potentially keep the aces if they remain banged up and they cannot show up defensively, which is all going to play into their matchup with the Atlanta Dream tonight. We talked with coach. We talked with Kate Constable here on Sports Grid TV. And we will find out more about how the Aces can maybe shake their struggles or how the dream Welcome back into WNBA today here on Sports Grid TV. Casey Hudson, hanging out with you to give you the rundown on all things going down in the WNBA, not only just today, but we just went through futures. We just talked about those major key MVP's. But, we got to get into this Friday night slate, right? So we were talking about the dream versus the aces just a smidge before we cut to that quick break, which means we're coming right back to it. I probably said it 4 or 5 times already. Aces are kind of on the struggle slopes right now, specifically in their defensive element of their game, which is not going to help them versus a team that can kind of sneak into the mix. Desperate teams tend to pull off desperate wins and the dream have a chance to slide into that fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. And at the top of WNBA today, I mentioned what better time than to have teams jousting for playoff spots. The Dream Team or the Dream Team that they're trying to be. Is that exact example. Now you got an aces team that's three and five in their last five games, pulling off three wins. And two of those losses came to the sun and the sparks. When you're looking at the sun, I mentioned their defensive ability to show up. They try to keep things pretty low scoring and they did a good job with doing that versus the aces, but it's not a good look when you get outscored 32 to 21 in the fourth quarter versus the wings team, that's just very much a I think they probably have decent rebounding, but outside of that, the aces should have had full command of that game. Yet you've got a dream team that shows up in the first half. Kind of keeps your back against the ropes and then might fizzle out in that second half. More specifically, fourth quarter. There's a lot of fatigue in the dream in that fourth quarter. So if the aces can show up for four quarters today, they have a chance to get in the win column and maybe show up better for totals or odds. So the dream is going to try to slow this game down. Aces are going to try to come out swinging. With that being said, I think that we probably want to gauge the total one 65.5 here, but don't be shocked. I like the dream to potentially cover a ten and a half. Spread it just feels a little big going up against a very inconsistent aces team. And when you're lacking defensively, you can allow those teams to get into the mix. Also, keep in mind the dream just lost by four points to the storm. We already said that the storm are really, really destructive offensively sometimes, so to be able to tangle with a team like that and then to come into this matchup with a spread at ten and a half, I'm not loving it. I like the dream to cover players. You obviously want to keep an eye on if you want to gauge some player prop bets. We talked about Wilson being a key asset for her team. Obviously keeping this team in any sort of conversation over her last five games, 135 points, 53 rebounds and 13 assists. So why not check out some rebounds or point props for your payday? Then you got Kelsey Plum obviously 75 points in the last five games 17 rebounds, 16 assists. Somebody else who's kind of hit or miss for showing up when it comes to what the aces need most, just since getting back from the Olympic break. Never, ever, ever going to disrespect or dismiss her game. But somebody you obviously want to lay some money on is going to be Tina Charles. She is tremendous. When it comes to rebounds, and she's been one of the key players to keep the dream in any sort of potential upset matchup. And as we saw over the last two weeks, the dream have been good with covering the underdog conversation and massive spreads. Which brings me back to this ten point spread. Now for a Liberty and Storm game that we should chat about really fast before we get into all the drama that's going to go down tonight. You got the liberty coming off Wednesday's shocking L listed as 12.5 point favorites, but the sparks decided to snap their skid. So storm have three different players that can rack up 16 plus points, which is something you want to keep in mind when you're going against the top team in the WNBA. At the moment, or one of the top teams. Also, the storm have a strong team, but sometimes their performance is extremely questionable. If it's not for Breanna Stewart completely throwing them on her back and getting all of the work done. Where am I going with all of this? Well if the storm don't commit to a bunch of turnovers, we're not looking at an outright win, but it's too testy on both sides here. Liberty need to keep up a strong performance. Storm have the ability to have a strong performance or to at least keep them on the ropes. So I don't like the moneyline on either side here. What I do really like is the storm to cover the spread. This is one of those games that I mentioned that the lines have changed a good amount opened up at about one and a half, went to two. Then as of this morning I was seeing three three and a half. So see where you can grab it. But regardless, I don't think this is going to be any sort of blowout. I don't think that the Liberty are going to run away with a number of points ahead. I think the storm can cover the spread. Not to mention is that I'm also liking the over on this one. You've got two teams that are actually very offensively sound. They can get to the point. Reminder the storm have three different players that can consistently put up 16 plus points. You're easily going to be seeing 70 plus points on both sides of these teams. Probably 80 plus more likely. So that's why I like the one 63.5 total for this matchup. Notable players. And Askew for the Liberty. Somebody who I mentioned as I butchered her name that I actually liked in the MVP conversation before the Olympic break. 84 points in her last five games, 22 rebounds, 22 assists. That's something else that I mentioned. She can either come in for her team in the rebound category, or she can show up and assist and start serving up the right ball to set her teammates up for success. So if they have a big night, I wouldn't be surprised to see her have some major numbers. Breanna Stewart carries her team. I think she had 32 points the other night in one of their losses, which has to be devastating to put in that much work and only get so far. But we got to pivot to In-Depth Game Breakdown: Fever vs. Sky the game that everybody wants to talk about, and we'll probably continue it on the other side of the break. We've got one of the most marked calendar games in the WNBA, also one of the most expensive games coming in at $334 a ticket. It's going to be the fever versus the sky. And why all the drama? You got Caitlin Clark on one side. You got Angel Reese on the other side, Clark wearing the crown. When it comes to three pointers as well as assists. But Reese wearing the crown when it comes to rebounds. She is so good when it comes to working against the boards there. Now Chicago does enter the showdown 11 and 19, but this is what you want to keep an eye on. They're four and 11 at home. They are not able to piece together their game when they are on home court. You got Indiana. That's not that great on the road either, but they have all of the momentum right now. They're coming into this matchup 15 and 16. Caitlin Clark's been hot Kelsey Mitchell has been hot. Things to consider the fever have been favored on the money line ten total times. And they've gone seven and three throughout those games. So you might want to lean towards a fever money line. Not too sure. 23 to 31 games this season, Indiana and its opponents have gone over the 100 and 63.5 total. You've got Caitlin Clark who's going to put on a show. You've got Angel. Reese is going to put on a show. You've got supporting characters for both of these girls, and we've seen how the competition just heats up. When Clark is going versus Reese. I think it's probably an easy shoe in to slam the over on the total for this one. Two top rookies going head to head. Also, the total bumped up to 164 last I checked, but I still see the over coming in on that. So definitely something you want to look into when it comes to player props between Clark and Reese as well as this matchup. And I'm leaning fever on the money line because why not? You got Caitlin Clark with all the momentum behind her. And it's. Welcome back intoA today here on Sports Grid TV. Casey Hudson leading you through one more roll. But we got another game on the slate tonight on this Friday night run through. And it's going to be the Lynx versus the wings. And I just have to let you guys know if you haven't figured out by now I'm low key. So on top of all Minnesota sports, started with a die hard hockey situation has translated to everything. So clearly you probably figured out who I'm rooting for in this, but outside of who I'm rooting for because nobody cares. You got the Lynx looking for their eighth straight win. Not to mention is that they had 19 turnovers in their last victory and they made it look like very easy work. Kayla McBride coming in hot for her team picking up 19 points. So no Collier was not the topic of the conversation in this last win. And McBride was one of four players in double figures that night. But we won't entirely discount the wings because we know that they're riding a high after them. After beating the aces the other night or a couple nights ago, and their ability to do so was because they actually are sitting fourth in the league when it comes to scoring their slippery slope comes almost equivalent to the aces in their defensive division. And not to mention that they're sitting 12th in the league when it comes to a defense. So going against a powerhouse team like the Lynx tonight, I can't imagine that they're going to be able to really keep in as close. But I will tell you this, they do try really hard to slow down the game, run out the clock. They bring a very slow pace to the WNBA game, but it works in their favor sometimes because if they force their opponent to play their game and they get the ability to get hot in the scoring, then that's where they come in and sneak those upsets. So I'm probably staying away from this one. I think it's almost an outright that Minnesota takes it. So if you want to look at the mini, mini Mini Moneyline, go ahead and take a gander at that one. But when it comes to some notable props, McBride is somebody that you can take a look at. Then you've got, Ogunbowale 110 points over her last five games, 24 rebounds and 28 assists. And then, of cours, the hot topic when it comes to the Minnesota Lynx is Collier in that MVP conversation. You've got her ability to put up points. But she's got 123 points in her last five games, 42 rebounds and 18 assists. So something else you can look at her for double double value. You can also look at her just in the rebound column. She usually gets really good value when you're looking at eight plus rebounds. And she's quite consistent when it comes to those. And then when it como Best Bets and Final Thoughts the last bit of WNBA today, we've got to talk about my best bets and my favorite things for you all to keep an eye on for tonight's rollout. Now, we talked about the Liberty versus the storm. I've mentioned it a number of times here. I do really like the over. Initially, I had it listed at 163. It only bumped up by a point, I think that it's a shoo in. You got two teams that are obviously able to get the points there, and then you've got one team that can kind of slip off defensively. So regardless, I just think that 8080 plus for both of these teams can hit in. Then I have the storm to cover. The spread also made that case. They're not a team that you want to count out by any means. They have a point to prove right now, and they can show up a little stronger in the defensive column. Sometimes something they can take advantage of. Tonight, it wouldn't be a WNBA card without Caitlin Clark on it. Right. So I'm going to take Caitlin Clark for a double double plus value at 100 here. I mean she's been tremendous over the last couple of weeks. She's not only been a pillar for her team, but she's been able to help serve up her team. Kelsey Mitchell, for instance, to get in the best promising position possible. And then of course, Angel Reese. I'm not going to leave her off the card tonight. We're talking about one of the biggest rookie matchups and showdowns going on race for rebounds. I think I have her at 14 plus rebounds. And another person who's just been so consistent in that column, as I talked about at the top of the show, rebounds is one of her largest categories. And when she knows she's going against Caitlin Clark, she's probably going to get a little hot in that point column also. And then closing out my card, I've got the Lynx first quarter winner. This just seemed to have a little bit more value to me because like I mentioned a moment ago, yes, you can probably go with the mini money line, which is such a tongue twister for me. The mini money line, which seems like the easy go to. But again, the wings can pull in a little bit of an upset or slow down the game enough to make it irritating. So I didn't really want to play with any point totals on this one. I didn't want to play with the spread on this one. It could either be a shoo in game or it can get really messy. But as for the first quarter, the Lynx coming out and setting a tone. Absolutely. The wings trying to slow down the game while they're trying to slow down the game. They're putting their opponent in a position to come out hot and at least strike up those points. We've seen the Lynx do it in a number of first quarters, so taking them as an outright winner at at good value is something that I don't think to overlook. So this is my play card for the night. The first play card of WNBA today, a lot of great games to roll through, but you're not going to want to miss it as we get through this WNBA season, as we figure out who's going to pop to the top for that WNBA championship. So every Friday, you're going to want to be right here on Sports Grid TV. Watching WNBA today as we keep you up to date with the run for the title, with the run for the major key MVP and more best bets, odds, lines and figures. Thank you guys so