Dream vs Lynx WNBA prediction, odds, pick

The Atlanta Dream take on the Minnesota Lynx. Check out our WNBA odds series for our Dream Lynx prediction, odds, and pick. Find out how to watch Dream Lynx.

The Minnesota Lynx need the WNBA All-Star and Olympic break. They have not been the same team without star scorer Napheesa Collier, which is understandable enough. However, other teams are dealing with roster limitations better than the Lynx have, and it raises questions about how good the Lynx will be when the WNBA playoffs arrive this September.

On Tuesday night, the New York Liberty sat Breanna Stewart to rest her for the Olympics. Going up against the Connecticut Sun, another top-four team in the WNBA this season, that might have seemed like a decisive turn of events. Stewie is easily one of the five best players in the WNBA, so it stood to reason that without her, the Liberty might be in trouble against a very good Connecticut team. Yet, the Liberty had the bench depth and the overall moxie to defeat the Sun by eight points, covering the 3.5-point pregame spread with a little margin. That says a lot about what the Liberty are and what they have become. They have developed the depth and reliability to account for a really good player's absence. The Lynx need to make that same statement before the All-Star and Olympic break, but they have failed thus far.

Minnesota was crushed last week by the Seattle Storm. The Lynx faded badly in the second half of a massive blowout. Then they came home on Sunday against the Indiana Fever, an improving team but a team which is still below .500 and was horrible in a bad home-court loss to the Washington Mystics one week ago. The Lynx offense struggled throughout Sunday's game versus the Fever, and Minnesota's generally solid defense — which played well through the first three quarters — was torched for 28 points in the fourth quarter in an 81-74 loss. What added to the sting of that defeat for the Lynx was that their head coach, Cheryl Reeve, was very dismissive of Caitlin Clark in pregame media sessions. She gave prickly and defensive answers. On Sunday in Minneapolis, Clark was seen on court, late in the Fever's win, reveling in being able to deal Reeve a defeat. Reeve gave an opponent some bulletin-board material, which was unwise given the Lynx's current roster limitations.

Reeve is the head coach of the United States Women's Olympic Basketball Team which will go to Paris next week. It's a final game for Reeve to get her Minnesota squad in order before she pivots to Team USA Basketball. This game is an important one for Minnesota. A loss to a subpar Atlanta team would leave the Lynx in disarray heading into the WNBA's four-week midseason break.

Here are the Dream-Lynx WNBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

WNBA Odds: Dream-Lynx Odds

Atlanta Dream: +7.5 (-110)

Minnesota Lynx: -7.5 (-110)

Over: 153.5 (-110)

Under: 153.5 (-110)

How to Watch Dream vs Lynx

Time: 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT

TV: Peachtree TV (Dream) / Bally Sports North (Lynx)

*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Dream Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Lynx are a mess. It's that simple. They play good defense, but their offense is so much weaker without a fully healthy Napheesa Collier. The Dream might not be an especially good team, but in this final game before the four-week midseason break, they are going to give it everything they have. They held Minnesota to 68 points a month ago in Minneapolis, and that was with Collier being healthy. Atlanta's defense can cover the spread for the Dream.

Why The Lynx Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Lynx know this game is hugely important for them. Even without Collier, they can grind down the Dream by playing elite defense and win by 15 points.