The Phoenix Mercury take on the Los Angeles Sparks. Our WNBA odds series has our Mercury Sparks prediction, odds, and pick. Find out how to watch Mercury Sparks.
This is the one “dead” game on Tuesday in the WNBA, as the league's regular season winds down and heads toward its 40th and final game on Thursday before the playoffs start next weekend. When we refer to a “dead” game, we mean a game which has no bearing on playoff inclusion or seeding. The four other games on Tuesday night in the W have some degree of relevance in connection with seeding or playoff qualification battles. This is the exception. Phoenix knows it will be the No. 7 seed and go on the road in the first round. The Los Angeles Sparks know their season ends Thursday and will begin thinking about how to make substantial roster improvements for 2025.
Phoenix has shown at times that it can be a factor in the WNBA. The Mercury have pushed the New York Liberty. They have beaten the Minnesota Lynx. They have been competitive against top teams. However, they have lost momentum and quality since the Olympic break. They have looked slower, less potent on offense, and not nearly as robust as they did in the earlier portion of the season. They were 12-10 through 22 games and had reason to think they could make a run at a 23- or 24-win regular season. They will finish no better than 20-20, and could easily finish under .500. One of the things which has crushed Phoenix is that when Brittney Griner has to take a rest, there's no backup big on this roster which can provide the same level of rim protection and interior defense. The Merc get hammered when Griner is off the floor. That's a gap in roster construction the franchise will need to address heading into next year.
The Los Angeles Sparks are the worst team in the WNBA, with only seven wins heading into the final two games of the season. The Sparks are guaranteed to win fewer than 10 games this season. Yet, as bad as the win-loss record is, the Sparks have been consistently competitive. They have held a lead in a lot of fourth quarters this season. What's crazy is how rarely they are able to hold those leads. Sunday was yet another example. They led the Seattle Storm midway through the fourth but could not finish. That has been the theme of the whole season: playing 32 to 36 good minutes but then losing the final four to eight minutes and walking away with a defeat. This is what LA has to solve if it wants to turn the corner next year.
Here are the Mercury-Sparks WNBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
WNBA Odds: Mercury-Sparks Odds
Phoenix Mercury: -3 (-110)
Moneyline: -168
Los Angeles Sparks: +3 (-110)
Moneyline: +136
Over: 163.5 (-110)
Under: 163.5 (-110)
How to Watch Mercury vs. Sparks
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET /7:30 p.m. PT
TV: CBS Sports Network, Paramount Plus
*Watch WNBA games LIVE with fuboTV (Free trial)*
Why The Mercury Could Cover The Spread
The Mercury are a better team than the Sparks, but beyond that, Los Angeles just doesn't finish games, as we noted above. The spread is small, so Phoenix just has to win by four to cover. Given how poorly Los Angeles plays in the final three to four minutes of fourth quarters, that's a reasonable bet to make.
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Why The Sparks Could Cover The Spread
The Sparks covered the spread against Seattle on Sunday, losing by two on the road. This is a terrible moneyline team but a decent team against the spread. Los Angeles might be more motivated in this game than Phoenix, since the Mercury truly have nothing to play for heading into the playoffs.
Final Mercury-Sparks Prediction & Pick
This is a terrible game to bet on, period. Stay away.
Click Here for more betting news & predictions
Final Mercury-Sparks Prediction & Pick: Sparks +3
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