We are baaaaaack! After a month off due to the Olympics, we are getting back into formation for the WNBA. We know you have missed the ladies of the league and our experts are here to make the return that much greater with their picks and predictions for the three-game slate for Thursday.
With two games tipping off at 8 p.m. ET, we have Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi fresh off of their Olympic gold medal quest to rejoin the Phoenix Mercury as they face off against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. In Minnesota, Napheesa Collier returns from Paris as well to help the Lynx host the well-rested Washington Mystics.
And last, but certainly not least, it's going down on ESPN as Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty make a trip to the City of Angels to face off against the Los Angeles Sparks at 9 p.m. ET.
Let's not hold off any longer on our WNBA best bets for Thursday, August 15. Take a look at our experts picks below!
WNBA Best Bets Today | Thursday, August 15
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 P.M. | |
| 8 P.M. | |
  | 9 P.M. | |
| 8 P.M. | |
| 9 P.M. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our WNBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Mercury vs. Sky
The Mercury are on the front end of a road back to back, right after the Olympic break, where they had multiple players on Team USA. Its a tough spot to expect a lot of production. On the other side, the Chicago Sky may have entered tank mode, trading starter Marina Mabrey right before the break. With the Sky likely playing inefficient offense without spacing, and with the Mercury reliant on their role players to step up, I am targeting the under for this game. The open was 166.5, and I think this closes around 164.5, so I'm happy to still play the UN 165.5.
Pick: Under 165.5 (-112)
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Mercury vs. Sky
The Mercury are a team I’ll be looking to fade this first week back. Three of their most important players are coming off of winning Olympic gold in Paris. Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper just spent the last few weeks without a break from basketball. The Sky players should be healthy and better rested, although Chennedy Carter did reportedly tweak her ankle during practice last week. Still I think there’s a good enough chance she plays to like Chicago early in this game.
On top of a rest advantage, I like this matchup for Chicago who are second in Rebound Percentage (51.5 %), per WNBA Advanced Stats, and should see a lot of second-chance points. Chicago’s size and physicality is going to be tough for the Mercury who are last in rebounding.
I’ll take the Sky in the first two frames where they’re 15-7-2 ATS and 8-3-2 at home.
Pick: Sky 1H +1.5
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Liberty vs. Sparks
The clear sharp side here was the under, opening at 168.5 and now being down to 164.5. With already 4 points of movement, playing into this is more steam chasing than obtaining value. Instead, we can correlate the under into a play on the LA Sparks and take the points. In games where the total is expected to drop/be lower than the early market numbers, it is harder to cover a long double digit spread.
We can take the Sparks at +12 now. They went into the break playing with a ton of effort despite being a weaker team in the league. On the other hand, the Liberty have multiple Team USA players traveling from Paris to LA, a 9 hour time difference. Thats a brutal travel spot despite the few days rest. Fade the Liberty here.
Pick: Sparks +12
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Mercury vs. Sky
By Maltman
WNBA action returns! After the USA women won gold yet again, and extended their winning streak, the Olympians come back to play for their home teams in a game. Notably, the Mercury had 3Olympians: Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper, and Brittney Griner. Even though they didn’t play that many minutes, they flew back from Paris to go straight to play the Sky, who had no players at the Olympics.
In 2021, the Sky were in a similar spot, facing the Seattle Storm at home, who had three Olympians as well. The Sky won that game, using a rest advantage that I think is present here as well. These two teams have also been of similar quality so far this season, and the Sky are at home. I’m expecting Angel Reese to come out looking like fire and the Sky to pull this one out. Betting .2u on Sky at +130.
Pick: Chicago Sky Moneyline +130
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Liberty vs. Sky
The New York Liberty have one of the hardest travel spots in the WNBA in this game, going cross country from NY to LA. We also have to add in that the return to the break comes after the Paris Olympics, where Ionescu was a feature player for Team USA. Sabrina travels from Paris to LA, a 9 hour time difference and over 12 hours worth of flights. She also has to reintegrate into her old team. With the total dropping, and the Sabrina Ionescu opening line still available, give me the Ionescu under as it should have moved a bit.
Pick: Sabrina Ionescu Under 20.5 (-106)
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