The New York Liberty take on the Los Angeles Sparks. Our WNBA odds series has our Liberty Sparks prediction, odds, and pick. Find out how to watch Liberty Sparks.
The New York Liberty lost a game last Saturday. They lost to a very good team, the second-place Connecticut Sun, who are now 22-7 as a result of their victory over New York. There's no shame in losing to a good team. However, the loss still caught some people off guard because Connecticut had been wobbly and shaky heading into that game, barely beating Los Angeles and Chicago at home and not looking very convincing. Moreover, Connecticut went to New York's home floor last Saturday having played on Friday. The Sun were forced into a back-to-back set while the Liberty had Friday off. New York should have been the fresher team, but the Sun played with more energy and passion. That was an eye-grabbing result.
When the Liberty took the court again on Monday night in Phoenix against the Mercury, they needed to make absolutely sure there would be no letdown and that there would not be a multi-game losing streak. New York tended to business with a double-digit dumping of the Merc. The Liberty looked like themselves again. Order has been restored.
While the Liberty have regained a sense of equilibrium, the Los Angeles Sparks continue to be the worst fourth-quarter team in the WNBA, even worse than the Washington Mystics. Those are the two worst fourth-quarter ballclubs in the WNBA this year, but LA has overtaken Washington for the number one squanderer of leads. The Sparks blew a 19-point fourth-quarter lead on Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Wings. They were still up by 10 points with two minutes left and couldn't hold that advantage. Way too many fouls on defense and turnovers on offense led to a spectacular implosion. The Sparks led the Connecticut Sun with under five minutes left a week ago and couldn't hold the lead. They led the Chicago Sun by 10 points a few weeks ago at home and couldn't hold the lead. They now blew the massive advantage in Dallas. The Sparks have an endgame problem. They're very competitive, and they don't make games easy for most opponents. Finishing games has been a headache for them. Something has to change.
Here are the Liberty-Sparks WNBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
WNBA Odds: Liberty-Sparks Odds
New York Liberty: -12.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -900
Los Angeles Sparks: +12.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +570
Over: 163.5 (-110)
Under: 163.5 (-110)
How to Watch Liberty vs. Sparks
Time: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
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Why The Liberty Could Cover The Spread/Win
The New York Liberty regained their winning identity with the emphatic win over the Phoenix Mercury. Now they go back to Los Angeles, where they played just two weeks ago. (WNBA scheduling, in case you haven't noticed, remains bizarre, something the league needs to address next season.) New York beat Los Angeles by 35 points two weeks ago. As long as the Liberty win here by 13, they still cover the spread. They could be 22 points worse than two weeks ago and still cover. That's a pretty reasonable bet to make.
Why The Sparks Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Sparks will be angry after what happened in Dallas on Sunday. This team will be intent on getting things right, and you will also see a team motivated to respond to the 35-point blowout it suffered against the Liberty two weeks ago.
Final Liberty-Sparks Prediction & Pick
This is a comfortable Liberty win. New York won't win by 35, but it should win by 15 to 20.
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Final Liberty-Sparks Prediction & Pick: Liberty -12.5