WNBA Odds and Picks September 8th – Mercury vs Dream, Lynx vs Aces

• Wednesday, Sept. 8th features a doubleheader of games airing on NBA TV and ESPN2
• Three of the four teams in action are still in a fight for a top five seed in the postseason
• See below for the latest odds, analysis and the best bet for Sept. 8th

With a week and a half left in the regular season and about a handful of games remaining for all 12 WNBA teams, the playoff picture and the importance of games continues on Wednesday as a pair of games that could result in a shift in the league standings are played.

To kick off action on Wednesday night, the Phoenix Mercury will hit the road to face the Atlanta Dream at 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV. The doubleheader will continue with a big matchup between the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces in a potential playoff preview at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

September 8th WNBA Odds

Odds as of Sept. 8th at FanDuel

Mercury Try to Stay Hot, Improve Seeding

The first game of the night will feature the red-hot Phoenix Mercury and struggling Atlanta Dream, two teams who are on opposite ends of the spectrum at this point in the season.

Phoenix enters the matchup at 18-10 overall and as the fifth seeded team in the league standings, having won nine in a row and nine of its last 10 games. The Mercury could still try to move into a top four seed in the final handful of games in the regular season, and could do just that if they remain hot before the postseason begins.

So far this season, Phoenix has been led by the trio of Brittney Griner, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Diana Taurasi. Griner has averaged 20.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 blocks, Diggins-Smith has averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steals, and Taurasi has tallied 15.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. The Mercury will rely heavily on all three of those players once again on Wednesday.

Atlanta comes into the matchup at home having ended a league-worst 11-game losing streak to bring the Dream to an overall record of 7-20. While in 11th place and a game ahead of the Indiana Fever in last place, Atlanta is just 1-9 in its last 10 games going into Wednesday.

Leading the way for the Dream so far this season has been Courtney Williams with 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds , 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Tiffany Hayes has averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals, while Chennedy Carter has averaged 14.2 points and 3.3 assists per game behind Williams.

Leading the Dream in scoring with 22 points, @tiphayes3 is our @GeorgiaLottery Player of the Game! pic.twitter.com/emlBql4xMC

— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) September 5, 2021

Lynx, Aces Square Off In Important Seeding Game

The second half of the doubleheader on Wednesday will be an important game with big playoff implications between Minnesota and Las Vegas. The winner of this game could put themselves in a good position to try and claim the second seed going into the postseason.

For Las Vegas, it comes into the game at 20-8 overall, just two games back of Connecticut and the top seed while sitting just one game in front of Seattle in the second seed.  The Aces, holding a record of 11-3 at home this season, are 6-4 in their last 10 games.

Pacing the way for the Aces with a few games left in the season have been the post duo of A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage, with Wilson averaging 18.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 blocks and Cambage averaging 14.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 assists a game. Cambage won’t be playing in the game after testing positive for COVID recently, so that will be a big absence for Las Vegas.

When it comes to Minnesota, it is 18-9 overall on the year and is in the fourth spot in the league standings, having won five games in a row and eight of its last 10 contests. This game is big for the Lynx, due to them trying to dig into the lead in the standings the Aces have in front of them to try and steal a top two seed.

The duo of Sylvia Fowles and Napheesa Collier have been dominant all season, with Fowles averaging 16.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 steals a game and Collier averaging 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists a contest. Kayla McBride has also played well, averaging 14.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

She's the best dang center in the history of our league.

🗣 Syl for MVP
🗣 Syl for Defensive Player of the Year@SylviaFowles x #WNBAGoatVote pic.twitter.com/GHfYkMQEcG

— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) September 7, 2021

Predictions and Best Bet

Both games on Wednesday will have playoff implications and could either make things in the postseason picture even tighter or help clear up the look of how the standings will shake out leading up to the start of the playoffs in just under two weeks.

For predictions on who will come out on top, go with Phoenix winning with relative ease, and Minnesota taking advantage of Cambage being out to steal a really important game on the road.

When it comes to the best bet of the night, go with the over in the Mercury and Dream game, which is listed with an over/under of 158.5. Both Phoenix and Atlanta have offenses that can put up points, so look for them to combine to surpass that mark.

• Best Bet: Phoenix/Atlanta, Over 158.5 (-106)