The Seattle Storm take on the Washington Mystics. Check out our WNBA odds series for our Storm Mystics prediction, odds, and pick. Find out how to watch Storm Mystics.
The Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics are both in trouble. In a 40-game regular season (compared to the 82-game season which exists in the NBA), there isn't as much time to dig out of a ditch when a losing streak occurs. Losing several games in a row in a 40-game season makes it hard to climb several games over .500 and get a meaningful position in the race for a high playoff seed. Seattle and Washington are both 0-2, meaning that the loser of this Sunday afternoon game will fall to 0-3 and feel real heat after the first full week of WNBA regular-season competition.
The Storm have three accomplished, high-profile WNBA players: Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Jewell Loyd. They combined for 66 points a few days ago against the Minnesota Lynx, but the supporting cast wasn't able to achieve much. Seattle played a sloppy game and was not able to display the level of efficiency it needed in a double-overtime thriller. The Storm lost to the Lynx for the second time in two tries.
Washington has been admirably competitive in two games it was not expected to win. The Mystics led the New York Liberty for large portions of their season opener before fading in the fourth quarter and losing by five points. Then Washington gave the Connecticut Sun — another one of the WNBA's better teams from last season — a strong four-quarter fight before falling by seven points. Washington was already playing without Elena Delle Donne, who is not playing this season for the Mystics. In the game against the Sun, key roster piece Brittney Sykes suffered an injury and is highly doubtful for this game against Seattle. Washington's depth is wafer-thin, and that has clearly had an effect on the betting lines for this game.
Here are the Storm-Mystics WNBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
WNBA Odds: Storm-Mystics Odds
Seattle Storm: -6.5 (-112)
Washington Mystics: +6.5 (-108)
Over: 161.5 (-110)
Under: 161.5 (-110)
How to Watch Storm vs Mystics
TV: Fox 13 Plus (Storm) / Monumental Sports Network (Mystics) / Prime Video
Stream: WNBA League Pass
Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
*Watch WNBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Storm Could Cover The Spread
The Brittney Sykes injury leaves the Mystics shorthanded. It will be hard for Washington to put a good five-player lineup on the floor for all four quarters. When the Mystics go to their bench and have to give their starters a measure of rest, Seattle should be able to feast.
Against Washington, the Storm face an opponent which is banged up. Washington has been competitive, but the Sykes injury is something the Mystics will have to adjust to, and they might not be able to pull it off. Washington might need a few games in which to get used to its altered rotation, and that could make the difference for Seattle.
Why The Mystics Could Cover The Spread
The Mystics might be shorthanded due to the Sykes injury, but if you look at these two teams' first two games this season, Washington has played better than Seattle. Washington is 0-2, but the Mystics lost to New York — the WNBA runner-up last season — and third-place Connecticut. Seattle has lost twice to a Minnesota team which is expected to be in the middle of the pack. Washington is getting 6.5 points and is at home against a struggling opponent. That looks like an attractive play.
Final Storm-Mystics Prediction & Pick
The Sykes injury makes the calculus surrounding this game a lot harder to assess. Stay away from this one.
Final Storm-Mystics Prediction & Pick: Mystics +6.5
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