Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx Odds: Straddle the Fence, Bet the Total

“Playoff Atmosphere” is an Understatement for This Game

It’s Either Team’s Game in What Should Be an Ugly One

High stakes! The Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx odds are on the move in favor of Minnesota, which is now down to -1 for Atlanta (from -3.5). We can’t fault the public for siding with the underdogs as both have the same records (17-19) and are fighting to get a better playoff seed. So instead of taking a side, betting on the total at 165 points is the play to make here.

🏀 Dream vs Lynx 🏀

Date & Time:
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis

Atlanta is Anything But “Hotlanta”

Right now, the only things hot in Atlanta are the Braves and the weather. Not the Dream. This team is a mess and consistently shoots itself away. But we can’t fault them for trying as it’s worked 17 times out of 36. Rhyne Howard is the poster child for this team as she’ll casually take 15 shots a game to score 17 points.

Howard has not shot well during the Dream’s slump. Atlanta is 1-6 in its last seven games and that lone win came over the injury-plagued Mercury, who are last in the WNBA rankings. The two-time All-Star has shot better than 40% just twice during these seven games and just once over 50%. To her credit, she’s worked on contributing in other parts outside of scoring.

Considering Atlanta’s recent funk, they are still scoring 81.3 points per game thanks to Cheyenne Parker. The forward has scored 20+ points in four of her last five games. That exception came against the Aces.

Still, the Dream has underwhelmed on the betting lines. They are 0-5 against the spread (ATS) in their last five road games. And likewise, the total went under in all these games. When you factor in the increasing pressure to win, Atlanta’s offense may just get tighter and messier. Thus, the Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx odds total is looking ‘sus’ at 165.

Lynx Already in Winter Mode

Lynx fans don’t want to hear about any “slumps”. Minnesota is in a worse place offensively. In August, Minnesota is averaging a measly 77.7 points per game. And the only time the Lynx scored over 80 on the WNBA schedule was against Dallas (twice) and Chicago. Napheesa Collier, the team’s MVP, has grown tired of carrying this team.

Collier averages 21.1 points and 7.9 boards. But she’s averaging just 18.1 points in her last seven games. In fact, Minnesota is just 7-15 when she scores fewer than her average. The Dream averaged a 106.7 defensive rating in their last seven games. So maybe Collier could just get it going and make the Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx odds worth betting on.

But behind Collier, the Lynx don’t have much in the way of offense. Kayla McBride, the three-time All-Star, has been hot and cold. She scored just nine points in each of her last two games. The same can be said for rookie Diamond Miller who will drop 25 points in one game and then be held to single digits in three. Her focus is on the team’s other weakness: defense.

“If we would have figured it out, we would have stopped the bleeding,” Miller said. “We have to focus on defense on knowing personnel. All our mistakes were happening at critical moments.”

Indeed, Minnesota is suffering on both ends of the floor. And it makes you wonder how bad Atlanta has been that folks picked Minnesota on the WNBA predictions.

But if Minnesota does execute on Miller’s critique, it is a good bet that the Atlanta-Minnesota game will not play out like what’s been seen: one team scoring a lot after defensive shortcomings. This may be a playoff-like game as these teams look to build something positive as the playoffs approach.

For WNBA betting news, odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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