WNBA-Leading Liberty Return from Olympics to Visit Sparks

The New York Liberty’s elusive title chase will regain steam when it returns from the Summer Olympic break on Thursday (9 p.m. ET) to face the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena.

• New York is an 11-point favorite and -675 on the moneyline, with Los Angeles +11 and +490. The projected total is 165, with a slight edge to the Under at -112 odds.

What can bettors expect? Before making your Liberty vs Sparks predictions, check out our WNBA game preview.

Liberty vs Sparks Betting Trends

The New York Liberty are 12-14 against the spread, but 8-4 away from home. As for the Over/Under, New York is 14-12, though the Under’s hit in five of their last seven.

• The Los Angeles Sparks, meanwhile, are 11-12-1 ATS, including 4-7-1 at home. The Sparks’ record against the Over/Under is 11-13.

It’s important to remember these betting trends when making your Liberty vs Sparks predictions.

Win or Go Home

Expectations haven’t changed for the Liberty. Fresh off the Olympic break, it’s title or bust. Anything short of that would be a massive disappointment.

The Liberty own the league’s best record at 21-4 and have the second-best championship odds (+170) behind Las Vegas (+160), which beat them in four games to win the 2023 title.

They also need to go only 10-5 from here on to beat their projected win total of 30.5.

New York is mostly at full strength, with forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee) the lone exception.

• Laney-Hamilton, who’s averaging 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, is expected to miss the next two weeks following a minor procedure on her right knee.

Fortunately, the Liberty still have plenty of other talent to count on, including forward and reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and guard Sabrina Ionescu.

Both helped lead the United States to a gold medal in Paris and are frontrunners for MVP once more, though the Aces’ A’ja Wilson has distanced herself on most WNBA lines.

New York won nine of its last 10 prior to the break and leads the WNBA in point differential by a healthy margin at plus-9.0.

They are 12-1 at home, including back-to-back double-digit victories over Los Angeles on June 20 and 22.

Though they’re just 12-14 ATS, they’ve covered in five of their last six games. Be sure to keep that in mind for the sake of your Liberty vs Sparks predictions.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is a key contributor for the Liberty. pic.twitter.com/NH0yV8FkAO

— espnW (@espnW) July 16, 2024

Better Late Than Never? Don’t Count on It

Is improvement on the horizon for Los Angeles? Frankly, it’s hard to tell.

At 6-18, the Sparks are tied with two others for the fewest wins in the WNBA. They’re likely not going to match projections (11.5 wins), and their cornerstone rookie is out for the year with an ACL injury.

Forward Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in April’s draft, averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks prior to getting hurt.

• The Sparks have lost 11 of their last 13, including six games by double digits. Their points differential of minus-6.4 is ahead of only Dallas (-7.8).

Dearica Hamby, who won an Olympic bronze medal with the U.S. 3×3 basketball team, is the Sparks’ leading scorer (19.2 PPG) and rebounder (10.0 RPG).

No one else is close, and that’s likely not going to change over the next few weeks.

Although Los Angeles is technically only 4.0 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot, it’s hard to foresee the Sparks making any kind of push.

In fact, they’re no longer even listed by some books to qualify. Bettors would be wise to look elsewhere when making WNBA predictions.

Handicapping the Game

The Liberty receive some good fortune, getting to resume the season against lowly Los Angeles. Whatever rust they may have from the break shouldn’t hold them back too much.

After all, the Sparks are one of the league’s weakest teams, losers of 11 of their last 13.

Furthermore, the Sparks are just 11-12-1 ATS, including 4-7-1 at home. New York’s beaten them by an average of 11.5 points in two meetings this season, most recently 98-88 on June 22 at Barclays Center.

Stewart had 33 points, seven assists and six blocks, while Ionescu added 24 points. The Liberty shot 54.4% from the field, including 16 of 36 on 3-point attempts.

Brink’s defensive presence is sorely missed, and the Sparks also don’t have anyone besides Hamby to carry them on the other end of the floor. This roster remains far too flawed.

For WNBA best bets today, odds analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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