WNBA Best Bets for Friday, July 21
New York Liberty -8.5 at Washington Mystics, 160
4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET
These teams have split their series so far. The Mystics won the season opener at home, 80-64, and the Liberty won in overtime on June 25th in New York, 89-88. Washington (11-9 SU, 9-11 ATS) covered both games, but they are now dealing with a slew of injuries and will be without Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins, Shakira Austin, and Kristi Toliver. In the five games since EDD has been out, the Mystics have gone 2-3 SU and ATS, winning once versus the Indiana Fever and once against the Seattle Storm. They also slipped to 11th in defensive rating in that same time span. Most recently, they lost by six to the Fever at home on Wednesday, 82-76.
New York (14-5 SU, 8-11 ATS) has fared better lately, having won four of their last five games, but they have gone 1-4 ATS in that same stretch. Now, they are coming off a 10-point loss to Dallas at home and should be motivated to get back on track against a depleted Washington squad. The Liberty’s defense has taken a step back recently, and they’ve seen seven Overs in their last 10 games. Washington has been taking better care of the ball than New York and capitalizing on points off of turnovers. Still, with this many starters out for Washington, there is no excuse for New York not to cover. Della Donne and Ariel Atkins alone combined for 39 points in that overtime game on June 25th. However, the remaining Mystics have still found ways to score, particularly Brittney Sykes, and could find a way to keep this close at home.
Lean Washington Mystics +8.5
Over 160
