Cheat Sheet – Second Round
2018 Playoff ResultsThe WNBA playoffs field is down to six teams as the first round concluded on Tuesday. In those games, the home teams went 2-0 both straight up and against the spread as Phoenix and Los Angeles captured wins and covers against Dallas and Minnesota respectively.
The Mercury and Sparks will now face the task of playing of travelling to the East Coast on one day of rest for the second round.
The Future Odds have been updated for the final six teams remaining in this year’s postseason with Seattle and Atlanta listed as the top choices. Those two clubs will meet the winner of Thursday’s games on Sunday in the semifinals, which are best-of-five matchups.
Odds to win 2018 WNBA Finals
Seattle Storm 7/5
Atlanta Dream 9/2
Los Angeles Sparks 11/2
Washington Mystics 11/2
Connecticut Sun 13/2
Phoenix Mercury 13/2
(Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under - O/U)
No. 6 Los Angeles at No. 3 Washington (ESPN2, 6:35 p.m. ET)
Regular Season Meetings
June 15 – Los Angeles (+4) 97 at Washington 86 (Over 159.5)
July 7 – Washington (+6.5) 83 at Los Angeles 74 (Under 160)
Aug. 17 – Washington (-4) 69 vs. Los Angeles 67 (Under 158.5)
-- The Mystics captured two of the three encounters against the Sparks this year, which included their regular season finale last Friday at the Charles E. Smith Center from Washington D.C.
-- Los Angeles defeated Minnesota 75-68 on Tuesday as a six-point home favorite in the first round. The combined 143 points never threatened the closing total of 150.
-- The win comes at the right time since the Sparks were 1-4 in their previous five games and all four of those losses came on the road.
-- L.A. did win its previous three road games before that four-game skid but the victories came against three non-playoff teams.
-- Washington closed its regular season last Sunday with an 88-83 loss at Minnesota. Prior to that setback, the Mystics had ripped off seven straight victories.
-- Washington posted an 11-5 SU and 7-9 ATS record at home this season and it’s going 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in its last four from the nation’s capital.
-- The Sparks led the WNBA in scoring defense, allowing 77 points per game. Washington allowed 81.4 and that number dipped to 79.1 PPG at home.
-- Both Los Angeles (21-14) and Washington (18-15) leaned to the ‘under’ this season. However, the Sparks were a solid ‘over’ look on the road with an 11-6 record.
-- The Mystics went 10-8 against the Western Conference this season while Los Angeles shared the same record (10-8) versus the Eastern Conference. Washington was 8-10 ATS in those games while LA produced a 9-8 ATS mark.
-- Washington went 2-3 in the 2017 WNBA playoffs, winning the first two elimination games before getting swept 3-0 by the Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals.
-- The Sparks have reached the WNBA Finals each of the last two seasons and are 1-0 in elimination games, which took place on Tuesday.
No. 5 Phoenix at No. 4 Connecticut (ESPN2, 8:35 p.m. ET)
Regular Season Meetings
June 16 - Phoenix (-5.5) 89 vs. Connecticut 72 (Under, 172.5)
July 5 – Phoenix (-6.5) 84 vs. Connecticut 77 (Under 170)
July 12 – Connecticut (-5) 91 vs. Phoenix 87 (Over 169)
-- The home team went 3-0 in the three encounters between Connecticut and Phoenix this season with the last meeting taking place on July 12. The Sun captured the lone contest at Mohegan Sun Arena but failed to cover as a home favorite.
-- The ‘under’ went 2-1 in the meetings with the only ‘over’ ticket connecting in Connecticut’s home win.
-- The Mercury captured a wire-to-wire 101-83 victory over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday as seven-point home favorites.
-- Including that win, Phoenix has won five straight games and they’re 4-1 ATS during this span. The club has gone 6-3 since the All-Star break.
-- The offense has averaged 94.3 PPG in their last nine games and that’s led to an 8-1-1 ‘over’ record.
-- Phoenix was one of two teams in the WNBA to post more wins on the road than at home this season. The Mercury went 11-6 SU and 13-4 ATS away from home.
-- The Sun closed the regular season with four straight wins and has gone 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games.
-- The defense has been very solid during this span, holding seven teams to under 80 points.
-- At home, the Sun went 13-4 this season but were just 9-8 ATS. They closed the year with seven straight wins at home, winning by an average of 16.8 PPG.
-- Connecticut led the league in scoring at 87.6 PPG and it also averaged 90.8 PPG at home this season, which was ranked first as well.
-- The Mercury averaged 84.6 PPG on the road, which was ranked third in the league.
-- The Sun and Mercury both went 12-6 in non-conference games this season. Connecticut was 10-8 ATS versus the West while Phoenix was 12-6 ATS.
-- If the game is tight, Phoenix has a decisive advantage at the charity stripe. The Mercury shot 84.9 percent from the free throw line in the regular season while Connecticut was the second worst in the league at 74.8 percent.
-- Connecticut has watched the ‘under’ go 18-16 this season while Phoenix leaned to the ‘over’ (20-15).
-- Since the WNBA created the first and second round elimination matchups in 2016, the Mercury have now gone 5-0 in those games.
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