- What: WNBA Finals Game
- When: Thursday, October 10th
- Who: Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty
- Time: 5:00 p.m. PST
- Where: Barclays Arena (Brooklyn, NY)
The WNBA Finals tip-off will be on Thursday night, and the New York Liberty will host the Minnesota Lynx to crown a champion.
The Liberty had an outstanding regular season, finishing with the best basketball record at 32-8. However, they faced tough competition from the Minnesota Lynx, who handed them two of their eight losses.
Minnesota Lynx
Notably, the Lynx were the only team to defeat the Liberty multiple times, including a Commissioner’s Cup victory. Despite the Liberty having a home-court advantage, the Lynx were able to get three wins at Barclays Center this season.
Minnesota’s defense stands out, forcing nearly two more turnovers per game than New York. In the previous round, the Aces had success in pressuring and trapping Liberty point guard Sabrina Ionescu.
Napheesa Collier has had a tremendous season and will do her best to shut down Breanna Stewart. However, the Liberty have plenty of other options on the offensive end.
we ready. pic.twitter.com/GrlEYQJSXP
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) October 10, 2024
On the offensive side, both teams performed similarly in field-goal percentage, with the Lynx tying with the Liberty at 44.8%. However, the Lynx excelled at 3-point shooting, leading the league with at 38% , while New York finished fifth at 34.9%.
Although New York is the more aggressive team from beyond the arc, Minnesota has the better shooters.
New York Liberty
The Liberty had the best offensive and second-best defensive ratings, while the Lynx had the fourth-best offensive and second-best defensive ratings.
These stats indicate that the two teams are closely matched in several key metrics. The Liberty had a strong season and only suffered one loss in the playoffs, but the Lynx are a resilient team that matched up well against the Liberty.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN ????#SEAFOAMSZN | #LIGHTITUPNYL pic.twitter.com/a7XejK0wLP
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) October 10, 2024
New York boasts a talented lineup of players, including former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones and stars Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu. With forwards Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, New York should have an advantage in the paint.
Their presence contributed to New York tying for the league lead in rebounds (36.6). Controlling the boards should allow the Liberty to capitalize on second-chance points.
Lynx-Liberty Best Bet
The Liberty’s focus this year has been on winning a championship. While, the Lynx have had some success in past matchups against them this season, the Liberty look locked in during the playoffs. They are rested while the Lynx just finished an epic five-game series against the Sun.
Oddsmakers favor the Liberty by 6.5 points on the spread, this feels like a sharp line. I would not touch the spread in this one, the total of 160 points seems like a much better option.
This one should be a defensive battle to set the tone in the first game of the series, while the Liberty should win, I believe it will be a lower-scoring game.
Under 160 points at -110 odds is the best bet in this one.
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
