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Connecticut Sun vs Seattle Storm Odds and Picks – WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship

Mitchell Hansen

by Mitchell Hansen in WNBA

Updated Aug 12, 2021 · 9:46 AM PDT

Connecticut Sun bench
Connecticut players cheer after scoring a point against New York Liberty during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, July 11, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)
  • Connecticut and Seattle face off in the first-ever Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 12th
  • The game features the top two teams from the inaugural in-season tournament that took place during the first half of the regular season
  • See odds, preview and the best bet for the game below

With the Olympic break now over and the WNBA season about to resume ahead of the playoffs in September, the first-ever Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game will tip off the return of play on Thursday, Aug. 12th.

The Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm face off at 9 p.m. ET in Arizona, a game that will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video. The two teams finished atop their respective conferences in Cup qualifying games during the first half of the regular season, earning a spot in the inaugural Cup Title Game with Connecticut representing the Eastern Conference and Seattle representing the Western Conference.

In the first WNBA game back from the Olympic break, the Storm are small home underdogs in this one.

Sun vs Storm Odds

Team Spread at Caesars Sportsbook Moneyline Total
Connecticut Sun -1.5 (-110) -125 Over 154.5 (-110)
Seattle Storm +1.5 (-110) +105 Under 154.5 (-110)

Odds as of Aug. 12th

2023 WNBA Championship Odds Tracker
Read More

First-Ever Cup Title Game

The Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game marks the end of the first-ever in-season competition that took place in the first half of the year, featuring a total of 60 regular-season contests spread throughout all 12 teams that counted towards the Cup standings. The top teams in each conference by the end of that span advanced to play in Thursday’s Championship Game.

On Thursday, there are a few prizes at stake for both the Sun and Storm, most notably for players on both teams. The first prize on the line for players is cash compensation, with members of the winning team earning $30,000 per player and members of the runner-up team claiming $10,000 each. Plus, whoever wins the MVP award in the game gets a bonus of $5,000. Altogether, there is $500,000 up for grabs in the Commissioner’s Cup prize pool.

In addition to the prize money on the line in the first-ever game, the winning team will also be awarded with a gold-plated Commissioner’s Cup trophy, the first of its kind.

Battle of WNBA’s Top Teams

Both Seattle and Connecticut come out of the Olympic break as two of the top teams in the league through the first 20 or so games in the regular season.

The Storm are currently the top team in the WNBA standings with an overall record of 16-5, led by Breanna Stewart who is averaging 20.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals, Jewell Loyd averaging 17.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals, and Sue Birth averaging 10.9 points, 5.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game.

The Sun enter with a record of 14-6 overall, sitting in third place and just 1.5 games behind Seattle. Connecticut has been headlined by Jonquel Jones who is averaging 21.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks, DeWanna Bonner who is averaging 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals, and Brionna Jones averaging 15.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals a game.

During the first half of the regular season, the Sun finished with the best Cup record in the league with a 9-1 record in 10 games to claim the East. The Storm finished with a record of 8-2 to secure a spot in the Cup Championship Game for the West.

Seattle and Connecticut have squared off two times this season, with the Storm winning both contests. Seattle topped Connecticut 90-87 on May 25 before taking a 2-0 series lead with an 89-66 win on June 13.

Best Bet

There are a few things that makes this an interesting game, mainly the strengths and weakness of each team and the current status of the players filling both rosters.

Seattle has been impressive all season, but does have a weakness on the defensive side in the paint, an area of strength for Connecticut on offense. The Sun, on the other hand, have been able to rest up more over the Olympic break while a handful of Storm players were playing for Team USA or other countries in the Tokyo Olympics. That could also play into the favor of Connecticut in Thursday’s game.

Even with all of that, it’s hard to bet against Seattle coming out on top in this game, mainly due to the display of dominance we’ve seen from the Storm all season long. When it comes to the best bet of the contest, go with the over/under listed for the game, which is set at 154.5. These two teams will likely pass that mark by the end of the contest.

  • The Pick: Over 154.5 (-110)
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