Lynx vs Sun Betting Preview: Minnesota Surging in Collier’s Absence
Rebuild? What Rebuild? The Lynx May be Ready to Contend

The Connecticut Sun will look to rebound from an upset loss when they wrap up a back-to-back against the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Connecticut opened as a 5.5-point favorite (-110) and -225 to win outright, with Minnesota priced +180. The over/under is 171.5 (-110), 1.5 points higher than Sunday’s total. Read on as we break down the matchup in our Lynx vs Sun betting preview.
🏀 Minnesota Lynx at Connecticut Sun 🏀
Date & Time:
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena; Uncasville, Conn.
Streaming: ESPN
Movin’ On Up
The Minnesota Lynx have turned around their fortunes since an 0-6 start, proving 2023 may not be a rebuilding season after all. The Lynx have won four of six since the All-Star break to climb to sixth place in the WNBA standings at 13-13, in sole possession of the sixth place.
Sunday’s 87-83 victory over Connecticut was the third in a row for Minnesota. Ironically this impressive stretch has come without three-time All-Star Napheesa Collier, who sprained her ankle last Wednesday in a win over the Washington Mystics. Collier, in her first full season after missing most of 2022 while giving birth, ranks third in the WNBA in scoring at 21.8 points per game. The fifth-year forward is also ninth in rebounding (7.9) and sixth in steals (1.6).
Guard Kayla McBride has become Minnesota’s de-facto top scorer in Collier’s absence, scoring a team-high 19 points against Connecticut. That came on the heels of a 26-point effort in Friday’s upset of the New York Liberty. Rookie forward Dorka Juhasz has stepped up as well, following up her third career double-double with an 11-point, six-rebound performance on Sunday.
Collier, who was expected to miss seven to 10 days, could be back in the lineup later this week. Should the Lynx hold their own this week in rematches with Connecticut and New York, they could make an even bigger push up the standings. They have only six more games against teams with winning records, starting Tuesday.
Bonner Remains Scorching
Despite Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, the Connecticut Sun remain a playoff lock. At 18-7, they’re arguably the biggest WNBA title threat outside of the league’s two “Super Teams,” the Las Vegas Aces and Liberty. Currently, the Sun own the third-best championship odds at +1500.
Forward DeWanna Bonner has maintained her dominant play in absence of forward Brionna Jones (torn Achilles), averaging a team-high 19.2 points on 42.9% shooting. The five-time All-Star has been especially impressive of late, following up her 32-point performance in last Tuesday’s 88-83 win over the Dallas Wings by scoring 31 points against Minnesota. In doing so, Bonner became the first player in league history with back-to-back games of 30-plus points and five-plus rebounds, according to Across the Timeline. Keep that in mind as you assess the odds in our Lynx vs Sun betting preview.
Bonner’s fiancee, forward Alyssa Thomas, is coming off a 17-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist performance against Minnesota. It was the fourth triple-double this season for the WNBA’s career record-holder. In addition to averaging 14.8 points, Thomas currently leads the WNBA in rebounding (9.8) and is tied with New York’s Courtney Vandersloot for first in assists per game (8.1). Thomas is also second in steals (1.8) behind Washington’s Brittney Sykes.
Handicapping the Game
The Sun are a good WNBA team. Really good, in fact. So, there’s no sense in overreacting to Sunday’s loss. They’re 8-4 and haven’t dropped back-to-back home games all season. While Minnesota is obviously a year ahead of schedule, they’re still compromised without Collier. She’s a bona fide superstar, and the Lynx likely need her to remain in the thick of the playoff race.
While the Lynx have surprised, this seems like a prime bounceback spot for Connecticut, especially at Mohegan Sun Arena. As such, Connecticut is shaping up to be a comfortable favorite in our Lynx vs Sun betting preview.
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