The Toronto Tempo (10-16) and Minnesota Lynx (22-6) meet in the WNBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The game will be broadcast live on Victory+.
The Lynx are favored by -14.5 on the spread, with the over/under set at 184.5 (-113o / -107u). The Lynx are a -1380 favorite to win outright, while the Tempo are +780 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Tempo vs. Lynx predictions and WNBA picks.
Tempo vs. Lynx Odds, Pick
| Tempo Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+14.5 -105 | 184.5 -113o / -107u | +780 |
| Lynx Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-14.5 -115 | 184.5 -113o / -107u | -1380 |
- Tempo vs. Lynx Spread: Tempo +14.5 (-105), Lynx -14.5 (-115)
- Tempo vs. Lynx Over/Under: 184.5 (-113o / -107u)
- Tempo vs. Lynx Moneyline: Tempo +780, Lynx -1380
- Tempo vs. Lynx Best Bet: Lynx -14.5 (-115)
Tempo vs. Lynx Preview
With the All-Star Game festivities now over, we can get back to business in the WNBA. And from all the partying that was documented across social media platforms, one can only wonder if the players even got any rest during the break.
As a result, teams with established veterans might have a leg up on their opponents as the games resume on Tuesday.
If you look across the league, you'll struggle to find a better veteran than Minnesota's Napheesa Collier. Not only is Collier a three-time All-WNBA First Team recipient and five-time All-Star, but she's racked up these impressive accolades after returning to action following the birth of her daughter.
Therefore, if there's anyone who knows how to pick up where things left off, it's Collier.
She missed the first 27 games of the season due to ankle surgery on both legs. Yet, in her first game back last week, she dropped 24 points with 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action.
Before her return, Minnesota was already the best team in the league thanks to the stellar play of the Rookie of the Year frontrunner Olivia Miles. Now, with Collier joining the party, things could get even uglier for the rest of the league.
Tempo vs. Lynx Prediction
I suspect we'll see some fairly large point spreads for the rest of the season in games that involve the Lynx. Some sportsbooks have Minnesota as high as a 15.5-point favorite at home against Toronto, but -14.5 is still available at DraftKings.
Through the first 15 games of the season, Toronto hovered around .500 at 7-8.
However, a foot injury to one of the Tempo's best players, Brittney Sykes, meant Toronto was without a 20-point scorer. Since Sykes suffered the plantar fascia tear, Toronto is just 3-8 wth a 118.2 Defensive Rating that's 4.6 points higher than the second-worst team during that span.
With just one win in its last eight games, Toronto has allowed at least 111 and 109 points against teams like Atlanta (5.0) and Las Vegas (5.8), who have Net Ratings that are almost half that of Minnesota's (10.3).
Collier in particular can exploit Toronto's vulnerability in the frontcourt as the Tempo allows the most points inside the paint with 44 per game.
Should Toronto send an extra player to try and double-team Collier, she'll still have options on the perimeter as Minnesota is the second-best 3-point shooting team at 37.9%.
Thus, there aren't really any great solutions for how Toronto can approach this game.
Generally, when you lack the personnel, you can always play tougher on defense to try and compensate. Unfortunately for the Tempo, we've yet to see any signs this season that this team can execute a defensive game plan.
Minnesota won the first meeting between these teams in a 100-72 blowout back in May. And given the current conditions of how they enter this rematch, we could see another lopsided result.
With my model projecting this line closer to -17, I can only look to back the favorites at the current number.
Best Bet: Lynx -14.5 (-115, DraftKings)
