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Washington Mystics vs New York Liberty Odds and Picks – July 3rd

Mitchell Hansen

by Mitchell Hansen in WNBA

Updated Jul 3, 2021 · 6:33 AM PDT

Tina charles dribbling basketball
Washington Mystics center Tina Charles (31) in action during a WNBA basketball game, Saturday, May 15, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
  • The Mystics and Liberty meet on July 3rd at 1pm ET on CBS Sports Network as part of a tripleheader in the WNBA
  • Saturday’s game features two teams trying to get back into the win column and back to .500
  • See game odds, preview and the best bet for the game below

To begin the weekend’s slate of games around the WNBA, the league will feature a tripleheader of contests on Saturday, July 3rd airing on NBA TV, CBS Sports Network and Facebook.

In the heart of that three-game list of games, the Washington Mystics (7-9) will visit the New York Liberty (8-9) at 1pm ET on CBS Sports Network from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Mystics vs Liberty Odds

Team Spread at FanDuel Moneyline Total
Washington Mystics +1.5 (-110) -102 Over 161.5 (-106)
New York Liberty -1.5 (-106) -120 Under 161.5 (-114)

Odd as of July 3rd

Mystics Hoping to End Three-Game Skid

Washington comes into the game against New York on Saturday holding the second-longest losing streak in the WNBA, having lost three in a row while going 5-5 in its last 10 contests.

The Mystics are most recently coming off of a 90-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun on June 29th in Washington, moving their losing streak to three while sitting behind just the Indiana Fever (12 straight losses) for the longest losing skid in the league.

Washington has been led all year long by veteran center Tina Charles, who has been dominant in 15 appearances. The future Hall of Famer is averaging a team-best 25.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Behind Charles, Ariel Atkins is averaging 17.5 points, 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds, while Myisha Hines-Allen has been a nice post pairing with Charles, averaging 14 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

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The Mystics have featured one of the top offenses in the WNBA so far in 2021, averaging 81.7 points a game (sixth-best in the league), but have managed to give up 83.9 points per game (fourth-worst) to opposing teams.

The key for Washington will be trying to take advantage of the game from the inside out, relying on Charles, Hines-Allen and company to rule the post area especially with Natasha Howard (knee) still out for New York.

Liberty Try to Get Back to .500 Mark

New York is trying to recover from a recent losing skid after starting the regular season off strong. They’ve gone 3-7 overall in the last 10 contests.

The Liberty, who most recently fell to the Atlanta Dream 73-69 on June 29th, are also trying to climb back to the .500 mark on the season while also holding on to a playoff spot in the league standings.

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New York continues to be led by Betnijah Laney, who is averaging a team-best 19.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Sami Whitcomb, Sabrina Ionescu and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Michaela Onyenwere have also been key contributors behind Laney, with Whitcomb is averaging 12.2 points and 5.5 rebounds, Ionescu averaging 10.5 points, 6.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds and Onyenwere averaging 10.2 points and 2.8 rebounds.

New York has struggled defensively this year which has contributed to its recent struggles, allowing opposing offenses to average 85.6 points per game (third-worst in the WNBA). On the other end of the floor, the Liberty are averaging just 80 points on offense, which ranks fourth-worst in the league.

If Laney and company can continue their level of play on Saturday night, the Liberty will give the Mystics all they can handle in Brooklyn.

Prediction and Best Best

Washington and New York battled against each other right after the start of the regular season in May, facing off in the nation’s capitol in a game that saw the Mystics come out on top 101-72. In the second of three games on the year on Saturday, the game changes locations to Brooklyn, where New York is 3-4 while Washington is 2-5 on the road.

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In this game, it will likely be a more offensive-heavy contest, as both teams have struggled on the defensive end and do have the ability to turn things up on offense throughout the course of a game. If that is the case, Washington might end up with the upper hand on the road.

In the early betting odds, oddsmakers view this as being the closest game of the night in the WNBA, with New York as 1.5-point favorites likely with being at home. For the best bet of the night, let’s go with Washington to cover that 1.5-point spread on the road.

  • The Pick: Mystics +1.5 (-106)
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