Category: Dallas Wings

Peter's Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Sabrina Ionescu, Mercury-Wings)
9 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Peter’s Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Sabrina Ionescu, Mercury-Wings)

Sunday brings a loaded WNBA slate of Commissioner’s Cup games before Game 2 of the NBA Finals tips off, giving us a chance to watch basketball all day long.

It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

The Washington Mystics and New York Liberty kick off the action on Sunday after 3 p.m. EST, but that’s not the only game I’m betting on today.

There are two player props that I’m targeting for some veteran players, as well as a moneyline pick in the Dallas Wings-Phoenix Mercury matchup with Brittney Griner and Rebecca Allen back for the Mercury. 

Let’s break down each of these picks for a basketball-filled close to the weekend: 

Find Peter Dewey's WNBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Phoenix Mercury Moneyline (-120) vs. Dallas Wings

The Wings have dropped four games in a row, and they lack the offensive firepower after Arike Ogunbowale to compete with a fully healthy Mercury team in my eyes. 

Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard being out has forced several Wings players to step up into bigger roles than they’d usually have. 

Even though Ogunbowale is scoring the ball at a high rate, she’s not shooting it efficiently, and neither are the Wings as a whole. They rank eighth in the league in effective field goal percentage, and that’s not the worst part of their advanced numbers in 2024. 

Dallas is also 10th in the league in defensive rating, which is a major concern given the weapons (Griner, Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper) that the Mercury have on offense. 

Now, I don’t want to act like Phoenix has been elite this season. It actually ranks 11th in defensive rating and 10th in net rating in 2024, but we have to remember that two starters were out for the first 10 games of the season.

The first game they came back? 

Phoenix promptly beat the best team in the Western Conference right now as a 5.5-point underdog. 

The Mercury have some big wins (over Minnesota and Las Vegas) and their defense should improve with Griner protecting the rim. Before Phoenix was running an extremely small four-guard lineup. 

I think this is a buy low spot on the Mercury before oddsmakers realize how deadly this team can be at full strength. 

Sabrina Ionescu OVER 18.5 Points (-105) – 0.5 unit

Sabrina Ionescu has been on fire as of late, scoring 22 or more points in four of her last six games, pushing her season-long scoring average to 17.8 points per game.

After a slow shooting start to the season, we’re starting to see what the two-time All-Star is truly capable of, and she’s coming off a huge 24-point game in a win over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday.

With Courtney Vandersloot (personal) likely out of the lineup for the second straight game on Sunday, Ionescu should play pretty heavy minutes against the Washington Mystics, who rank ninth in the league in defensive rating this season. 

Plus, Sloot usually initiates a ton of offense, so it’s likely that Ionescu will have the ball in her hands even more than usual in this game. Despite a poor 4-for-12 shooting game against the Mystics earlier this season, Ionescu is one of my favorite targets on Sunday. 

Nneka Ogwumike OVER 16.5 Points (-110) – 0.5 unit

For the third time this season, Nneka Ogwumike and the Seattle Storm will match up with the Minnesota Lynx, and Ogwumike has dominated this matchup in 2024.

The veteran forward had 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the season opener before dropping 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the next matchup. On the season, Ogwumike is averaging 17.7 points per game, clearing 16.5 points in five of her seven appearances. 

She’s seen her scoring drop in her last three games (10, 17 and 12 points), but Ogwumike has still attempted double-digit shots in all but one game. 

Given her success against Minnesota this season, I’ll buy low on this prop at 16.5 after it was nearing 20.5 earlier in the season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Nneka Ogwumike, Phoenix Mercury, Sabrina Ionescu, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, WNBA
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Mercury vs. Wings Prediction, Odds and Key Players for WNBA Commissioner's Cup
9 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Mercury vs. Wings Prediction, Odds and Key Players for WNBA Commissioner’s Cup

The Phoenix Mercury are healthy for the first time this season after Brittney Griner and Rebecca Allen returned to action in the team’s upset win over Minnesota Lynx on Friday night.

Now, the Mercury find themselves as slight favorites on the road against the Dallas Wings, who are still down Satou Sabally, Natasha Howard and Jaelyn Brown due to injuries, which has led to a subpar 3-6 start to 2024. 

If there’s one thing going in the Wings’ favor, it’s that Phoenix has struggled on the road in 2024, going 1-5 straight up in six games. Can the now-healthy Mercury turn that narrative around on Sunday?

Let’s break down the odds, key players to watch and a best bet for this Western Conference clash.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Mercury Injury Report

Wings Injury Report

Phoenix Mercury 

Brittney Griner: Phoenix’s star center returned from a toe injury to make her 2024 season debut in a win over the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night. Griner looked like her usual self, scoring 11 points, grabbing four boards and blocking a shot in just over 21 minutes of action. Griner gives the Mercury a true presence in the middle, and it allows them to move one of their great guards to the bench (in this case Sophie Cunningham), which gives them a lot more depth. 

Dallas Wings

Arike Ogunbowale: With Sabally and Howard out, Arike Ogunbowale has a huge load to carry for the Dallas Wings. The star guard is averaging 26.6 points per game – scoring 20 or more in every matchup this season – but she enters Sunday’s game shooting just 36.4 percent from the field. 

The Wings have dropped four games in a row, and they lack the offensive firepower after Ogunbowale to compete with a fully healthy Mercury team in my eyes.

Even though Ogunbowale is scoring the ball at a high rate, she’s not shooting it efficiently, and neither are the Wings as a whole. They rank eighth in the league in effective field goal percentage, and that’s not the worst part of their advanced numbers in 2024. 

Dallas is also 10th in the league in defensive rating, which is a major concern given the weapons (Griner, Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper) that the Mercury have on offense. 

Now, I don’t want to act like Phoenix has been elite this season. It actually ranks 11th in defensive rating and 10th in net rating in 2024, but we have to remember that two starters were out for the first 10 games of the season.

The first game they came back? 

Phoenix promptly beat the best team in the Western Conference right now as a 5.5-point underdog. 

The Mercury have some big wins (over Minnesota and Las Vegas) and their defense should improve with Griner protecting the rim. Before Phoenix was running an extremely small four-guard lineup. 

I think this is a buy low spot on the Mercury before oddsmakers realize how deadly this team can be at full strength. 

Pick: Mercury Moneyline (-120)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find Peter Dewey's betting record here You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

Arike Ogunbowale, Brittney Griner, Dallas Wings, Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury, Sophie Cunningham, WNBA
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Fever Posted Such an Epic Photo of Caitlin Clark, and WNBA Fans Loved It
4 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Fever Posted Such an Epic Photo of Caitlin Clark, and WNBA Fans Loved It

Caitlin Clark didn't disappoint in her WNBA debut on Friday night, a 79–76 preseason loss for the Indiana Fever at the hands of the Dallas Wings at College Park Center in Arlington, TX.

Clark, playing professional basketball for the first time, looked right at home, scoring a team-high 21 points while draining five three-pointers in 28 minutes of action.

The Iowa product also provided a highlight reel moment in the first quarter, as she lost Wings defender Jacy Sheldon on the dribble—perhaps due to some contact by Clark—resulting in Sheldon falling to the floor as a photographer with impeccable timing snapped the picture. The Fever posted the epic photo onto X, formerly Twitter, and WNBA fans absolutely loved it.

Kudos to Gregory Shamus of Getty Images for getting the perfect photo. Clark went on to drain the three-pointer, to the delight of the sold-out crowd at the College Park Center.

Clark will next take the court for her home debut against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday night after the contest was rescheduled to avoid conflict with the Indiana Pacers' playoff game.

Caitlin Clark, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, WNBA
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Caitlin Clark Already Showing Off Unmatched Range in First WNBA Preseason Game
4 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Caitlin Clark Already Showing Off Unmatched Range in First WNBA Preseason Game

Caitlin Clark put all doubts about her game translating to the WNBA level to rest in the first few minutes of her preseason debut with the Indiana Fever.

Clark, the No. 1 pick by the Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft, started Friday's preseason opener against the Dallas Wings. It took Clark just 54 seconds to drill her first (unofficial) WNBA three-pointer. And in classic Clark fashion, it was from way deep—28 feet, nearly six feet beyond the WNBA three-point line and four feet past the NBA line.

Three minutes later, Clark knocked down another three-pointer—this time from 24 feet.

By the end of the first quarter, Clark had nailed a trio of three-pointers and tallied a game-high 11 points. The Fever, however, trailed Dallas 26–23 after 10 minutes of play.

After Friday's contest wraps up, Clark and the Fever will finish off the two-game preseason schedule Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark will make her WNBA regular-season debut May 14 against the Connecticut Sun.

Caitlin Clark, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever
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