WNBA Prop Player for August 9
There are three games on Tuesday’s WNBA slate, and each has some form of playoff implications in the final week of the league’s regular season.
As opposed to a breakdown of each game, we’ll instead take a look at the WNBA prop player for August 9, highlighting one player from each game.
Seattle Storm vs. Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky have a two-game edge for the league’s best record at 25-8, and the Seattle Storm (20-13) are in jeopardy of losing home court advantage with a half-game lead ahead of the would-be five seed.
It’s a big game with Sue Bird, the greatest of all time, playing in Chicago for the final time, knowing the postseason guarantees nothing.
The Sky are favored by five with an over/under of 164.
Emma Meesseman
- WNBA odds show Emma Meesseman has a rebounding over/under of 6.5, which is above her season average of 5.5 per contest.
When the Sky lost Stefanie Dolson in free agency, they brought in a versatile 6-foot-4 Belgian forward. Meesseman returned to the WNBA after taking a year off, playing for the Washington Mystics from 2013-2020.
WNBA Finals MVP
She is a winner as a four-time EuroLeague champion and has a WNBA Finals MVP under her belt. With Candace Parker drawing much of the attention in two meetings with the storm this season, Meesseman has been key in crashing the glass.
She had 16 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists in the 78-74 victory on July 20. In the 74-71 loss on May 18, she had 11 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
WNBA Pick: Emma Meesseman O 6.5 rebounds
Atlanta Dream vs. Las Vegas Aces
The Atlanta Dream (14-19) are narrowly in a playoff spot if the season ended today, but a meeting with the Las Vegas Aces (23-10) is not what they needed.
WNBA picks should sway toward the Aces, who are 11.5-point favorites with an over/under of 168. That’s especially true with Atlanta’s leading scorer, Tiffany Hayes, questionable with an ankle injury. She hasn’t played since July 30.
It would make sense for the Dream to hold her out with two games against the New York Liberty (13-20), who are on their tails for the final playoff spot, to close out the regular season.
Aari McDonald
- Aari McDonald is averaging 13.7 points per game in Hayes’ three-game absence and has a point over/under of 11.5 points.
This is a tricky line for McDonald and is contingent on if Hayes plays or not, so certainly one to bet as an injury report comes out.
Final Four
The second-year guard led Arizona onto a memorable Final Four run before turning pro, and McDonald has mostly come off the bench this season to average 10.9 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game.
The key for this is her 3-point shooting, where she converts at a 34.6% clip because the Aces are third worst defensively, allowing teams to hit 35.4% of 3-pointers.
Pick: Aari McDonald O 11.5 points
Connecticut Sun vs. Los Angeles Sparks
Basketball betting late in the season is sometimes difficult because you may not know who will or won’t play, regardless if someone is hurt.
Resting is a little less profound in the WNBA as their male contemporaries, but it is worth considering when the Connecticut Sun (22-11) visit the Los Angeles Sparks (13-20) at 10:30 p.m. ET. The line favors the Sun by eight points with an over/under of 159.
The Sun have a two-game edge for the third seed and are only a game back of Las Vegas for the second seed.
This is a spot where they could really hammer the Sparks, who are a half-game out of a playoff spot and could chase down the Phoenix Mercury (14-19), who announced Diana Taurasi will miss the rest of the season.
Jonquel Jones
- Jonquel Jones is averaging 8.6 rebounds per game this season and faces an over/under of 9.5 rebounds against the Sparks.
A brief look at awards history shows the 6 foot 6 Jones as the complete package. She’s made all-defensive teams, has won three rebounding titles, is a four-time All-Star, and is the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player.
League’s Reigning Most Valuable Player
While she’s third in rebounds per game this season, she dominated a Sparks team at full strength with 16 points and 12 rebounds in Connecticut’s 77-60 win on May 14.
That was a Los Angeles team at full strength, too. Star center Liz Cambage recently left the team abruptly, and Chiney Ogwumike is questionable (face) for Tuesday’s game.
Not to mention the Sparks are the worst rebounding team – 31.0 per contest – in the league. Even with blowout potential, Jones can dominate early and often.
Pick: Jonquel Jones O 9.5 rebounds
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