WNBA Best Bets: Three Picks for Friday's Slate

The WNBA season rolls on starting with Connecticut and Phoenix, as well as Atlanta vs. Washington, getting underway at 7:30 p.m. EST. Golden State visits Dallas in the nightcap of the three-game league slate.

As for what the WNBA Best Bets could be, let’s talk about the options. Following are my best bet picks for each game:

Phoenix Mercury vs. Connecticut Sun

Not having Britney Griner in the lineup makes what was already a tough task for the Sun even harder. Connecticut has struggled to score points this season and is the only team averaging less than 80 points per game (70.8 ppg)

Phoenix and the Sun have been playing comparable defense in recent games (both have allowed 92 ppg over the last five). The addition of Kelsey Plum to the lineup has added some firepower to the Phoenix offense that the Sun will probably struggle with.

My Pick: Phoenix -6.5 at -108 (DraftKings)

If Phoenix is going to have a shot at making the playoffs, they have to come out on top in the winnable games like this one. The Mercury are not playing great defense of late, but their offense has more than enough weapons to beat a struggling Sun team by 6.5 points.

Atlanta Dream vs. Washington Mystics

The Mystics are coming in hot, winners of their last five in a row and seven of their last nine. Atlanta, however, is also coming in hot, winners of six of their last seven. Both have been playing solid offense, scoring around 91 ppg over their last five.

In that stretch, Washington played slightly better defense, allowing 86.3 ppg to 90.4 for Atlanta.

• My Pick: Washington ML at +145 (DraftKings)

If you look at the season-long stats for each team, the Dream looks like the better team by far. But winning is more about how you are playing right now, not all season long. While Atlanta is getting back to playing solid defense, Washington has been playing better.

Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen, and Sonia Citron have been averaging 56+ points per game over the last five. They’ll power the Mystics past the Dream with another solid performance tonight.

Golden State Valkyries vs. Dallas Wings

For the Valkyries, the name of the game has been defense this season as they have the No. 1 unit in the league (77.1 points per game allowed this season). Dallas, on the other hand, has had to count on a combination of good offense (89.3 ppg, No. 7) and solid defense (85.5 ppg allowed, No. 4).

If Golden State’s defense slips, the Valkyries don’t really have an offense that can pick up the slack. But if Dallas slips on one end of the court, the Wings aren’t good enough on the other end to make up the difference.

My Pick: UNDER 163.5 at -108 (DraftKings)

Golden State has allowed 82 ppg over its last five; Dallas has allowed 83.8. Both teams have averaged 86 ppg on the offensive end. Golden State beat Dallas by 11 earlier in the season, but with how both have been playing, this is going to be a much tighter contest.

The OVER is 4-10 for the Wings at home this season and 5-8 for the Valkyries on the road. Defense will win the day for this game and keep the final score relatively low.