The New York Liberty will look to continue their dominance of the WNBA regular season as they come out of the Olympic break by visiting the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night.
While New York has been nearly unbeatable in 2024, it hasn’t had much luck blowing out weaker opponents. I’ll look at what that trend means for tonight’s game in my free Liberty vs. Sparks predictions and WNBA picks for August 15.
Liberty vs Sparks predictions
My best bet
Sparks +11.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
My analysis
The New York Liberty entered the Olympic break playing as well as they have all season, riding a four-game winning streak that included two wins over their closest rivals, the Connecticut Sun. New York even covered in all four of those games, something it hasn't always been able to do this year.
However, there’s an important caveat in that statement, as New York was a single-digit favorite in all four of those games. While the Liberty are beating opponents by an average of nine points a game, they haven’t been able to blow out the teams at the bottom of the league standings.
The Liberty have been favored by at least 10 points on 12 occasions this year. They’ve managed to cover a grand total of one time, as this is a team that seems to play down to its competition.
That includes the first two meetings between these teams this season. The Liberty have managed to win both of those games, but it has been the Los Angeles Sparks that have covered 14.5-point spreads each time they’ve played.
Those games were played in New York. Tonight, the Sparks will be defending their home court in Los Angeles, and while they’ve hardly been great there, they’ve certainly performed better in Los Angeles than on the road. The Sparks are 4-8 overall at home compared to winning just two road games all season.
This is a stronger Los Angeles team than the Liberty have faced earlier in the season. The Sparks were bolstered just before the break by Azura Stevens’ return from an arm injury she suffered while playing in China during the offseason. Stevens has averaged 14.8 points and eight rebounds per game since her return, adding depth to a lineup that has lacked a second scoring option behind Dearica Hamby (19.2 ppg).
The Liberty couldn’t cover at home against the Sparks earlier this year and haven’t been able to cover in any of these games that look like blowouts on paper. With Los Angeles at home and sporting an improved lineup, I expect the Sparks to cover again tonight.
Liberty vs Sparks same-game parlay (SGP)
Sparks +11.5
Over 164.5
Azura Stevens Over 12.5 points
These teams have combined to easily eclipse tonight’s total in their first two meetings this season, including hitting the Over in their last three head-to-head matchups overall.
With that many points on the board, I’ll also take Stevens to go Over her scoring prop of 12.5 points. Stevens is averaging 14.8 ppg since her return from injury and scored at least 16 in each of her last two games before the Olympic break.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Liberty vs Sparks odds
Liberty vs Sparks live odds
Get the latest Liberty vs Sparks WNBA odds for tonight.
Liberty vs Sparks opening odds
- Spread: New York -11.5 (-110) | Los Angeles +11.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: New York -700 | Los Angeles +500
- Over/Under: Over 168.5 (-110) | Under 168.5 (-110)
Liberty vs Sparks spread and Over/Under analysis
- Despite their impressive record, the Liberty are just 12-14 against the spread this season, while the Sparks are 11-12-1 ATS.
- New York is 1-11 ATS in 2024 when favored by 10 or more points.
- The Sparks have played to an average total of 164.4 points this year, while the Liberty are averaging a 162.6 O/U in their games.
- The Over has a 14-12 edge when New York plays this season, while the Under has gone 14-10 when Los Angeles takes the court.
Liberty vs Sparks trend
Los Angeles is 6-0 ATS in its last six games vs. New York. Find more WNBA betting trends for Liberty vs. Sparks.
Liberty vs Sparks game info
| Location: | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date: | Thursday, 8-15-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
Liberty vs Sparks latest injuries
Liberty: Betnijah Laney F (Out).
Sparks: Cameron Brink F (Out), Lexie Brown G (Out), Julie Allemand G (Out).
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.
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