The Phoenix Mercury (20-13) and Golden State Valkyries (18-16) meet in the WNBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. EDT at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on AZFamily.
The Mercury are favored by -6.5 on the spread, with the over/under set at 154.5 (-115o / -108u). The Mercury are a -298 favorite to win outright, while the Valkyries are +240 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Mercury vs. Valkyries prediction and WNBA picks.
Mercury vs. Valkyries Odds, Pick
| Mercury Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -112 | 154.5 -115o / -108u | -298 |
| Valkyries Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -108 | 154.5 -115o / -108u | +240 |
- Mercury vs. Valkyries Spread: Mercury -6.5 (-112), Valkyries +6.5 (-108)
- Mercury vs. Valkyries Over/Under: 154.5 (-115o / -108u)
- Mercury vs. Valkyries Moneyline: Mercury -298, Valkyries +240
- Mercury vs. Valkyries Best Bet: Mercury -6.5
Jim Turvey's Mercury vs. Valkyries Prediction
I've got Phoenix -6.5. Obviously, follow me on the app and get those notifications because I grabbed the -5.5 when it opened. I still like -6.5, but probably wouldn't go too much past this just because Golden State still has a pretty good defense.
That Atlanta game, I don't want to be a Valkyrie skeptic, but the second half kind of felt rough. I love the Valkyries and think Natalie Nakase is awesome, but it feels like they keep missing more and more players. Iliana Rupert, who got hurt in the Atlanta game, had been playing really well for them. That seems like a minor piece, but on a team where all of the pieces matter, every single piece that goes out then matters a bit more. So, I think we might start to see the Valkyries stumble down the stretch.
Phoenix is just a much better team and is kind of in that Atlanta tier. It feels like Atlanta is a really good comparison in that they've got really solid coaches. I think Nakase might be able to pick on some of the lesser coaches in the league, but against the likes of Minnesota, Atlanta and Phoenix, those coaches are able to solve and neutralize Nakase's game plan a little bit more. Atlanta really pulled away in the second half and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a similar script here where the game's kind of close at halftime and then Phoenix turns it on in the second half.
Best Bet: Mercury -6.5
