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The Los Angeles Sparks take on the Phoenix Mercury. Our WNBA odds series has our Sparks Mercury prediction, odds, and pick. Find out how to watch Sparks Mercury.
The Los Angeles Sparks are near the bottom of the WNBA. They can't reliably generate offense. Their offense gets stuck in a lot of the games they play, the latest example being this past Thursday's loss to the Chicago Sky, a not-very-good team which just lost to the Indiana Fever, another team which is toiling alongside the Sparks near the bottom of the league. The Sparks scored more than 16 points in only one of the four quarters they played against the Sky. That simply won't cut it. They were 4 of 21 on 3-pointers and coughed up 18 turnovers. Those numbers will not get the job done. Los Angeles was outshot 75-60 (total attempts), which is also not part of a winning basketball formula. The Sparks simply don't do enough winning things in each game they play. One of their rare wins was an ugly 70-68 win over the winless Washington Mystics, the only team in the WNBA which has yet to win a regular-season game.
Los Angeles rookie and No. 2 WNBA draft pick Cameron Brink is a very strong defensive player. The Sparks know already that Brink can handle tough defensive assignments and can protect the paint and the rim. They have that going for them. Now they need to surround Brink with better offensive players and find a roster which can score and protect the ball. Expect more defense and less-than-high scores with the Sparks as this WNBA season continues.
The Phoenix Mercury are a fascinating team to watch. They have looked really good at times, such as when they beat the Las Vegas Aces in Vegas. There have been times in the young season when the Mercury have played like a team with an unexpectedly high ceiling. Yet, on the other hand, the Mercury have played their worst two games of the season in their last three outings. They were absolutely crushed by both the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx. To be fair, the Sun and Lynx might be playing the best basketball of any teams in the WNBA. That much has to be said. However, Phoenix was legitimately non-competitive in each game, scoring only 47 points versus the Sun and trailing the Lynx by over 20 points at halftime on Friday. Yet, to complicate things even more, the Mercury played a good game in between those no-shows, taking a late lead over the vaunted New York Liberty on the road before losing by only three.
Which is the real Phoenix team — the one which doesn't show up at times, or the one which beats Vegas and takes New York to the limit?
Here are the Sparks-Mercury WNBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
WNBA Odds: Sparks-Mercury Odds
Los Angeles Sparks: +4.5 (-110)
Phoenix Mercury: -4.5 (-110)
Over: 163.5 (-110)
Under: 163.5 (-110)
How to Watch Sparks vs. Mercury
TV: SportsNet LA (Sparks) / AZ Family, Mercury Live (Mercury)
Article Continues Below
Stream: WNBA League Pass
Time: 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
*Watch WNBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Sparks Could Cover The Spread
The Sparks are good on defense, and we have seen Phoenix get stuck on offense in the past week. Los Angeles can make this game ugly and cover the spread.
Why The Mercury Could Cover The Spread
The Mercury are going to be mad after getting demolished 95-71 by Minnesota on Friday. You should expect better from this team. A good performance against a bad Los Angeles squad should be more than enough to cover a not-that-large spread.
Final Sparks-Mercury Prediction & Pick
Phoenix is a better team, playing at home, coming off a bad performance. Take the Mercury.
Final Sparks-Mercury Prediction & Pick: Mercury -4.5
