The WNBA is back in full swing, with about another month left in the regular season. Only the New York Liberty have clinched a playoff spot, but the Connecticut Sun and their enhanced roster should be there soon.
Tonight’s slate features some of the worst teams in the WNBA, but there is still value to be found on the August 20 slate. Let’s look into some free WNBA picks for stars Jonqul Jones, DeWanna Bonner, and Jewell Loyd.
WNBA player prop bets for August 20
- Jonquel Jones Over 10.5 rebounds (+120 at DraftKings)
- DeWanna Bonner Under 16.5 points (-115 at FanDuel)
- Jewell Loyd Over 22.5 points (+105 at BetRivers)
Today's best WNBA player props bets
Prop bet #1: Jonquel Jones Over 10.5 rebounds
Inexplicably, this is the first meeting of the season between the New York Liberty and the Dallas Wings. For context, New York has faced the Indiana Fever four times already. There will be a few quick and harsh lessons for Dallas tonight, most pertinently that Jonquel Jones is adamant about collecting her rebounds.
This logic has been consistent all season: Only two players in the Liberty rotation collect more than 9% of available rebounds, Breanna Stewart at 15.0% and Jones at 17.1%. When there are missed shots against New York, it is most likely Jones will find corral the ball.
Most sportsbooks have this prop available at 9.5 with the Over heavily juiced (-136 at FanDuel, for example). The additional rebound is worth 56 cents in price difference. Jones grabbed 17 rebounds in her most recent outing, a 12-point win against the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Before the Olympic break, Jones had snagged 11 or more boards in six of nine games.
This is ambitious, but reasonably so.
Prop bet #2: DeWanna Bonner Under 16.5 points
The Connecticut Sun slid their chips across the table during the Olympics, trading for Mabrina Mabrey from the Chicago Sky. The Sun appear leaps and bounds behind the Liberty, and come the postseason, no one would dare doubt the Aces.
So, adding firepower made sense. The Sun had a contention-worthy team, but they needed a bit more. Mabrey has averaged 14 points this season, adding 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Primarily, she is a scorer.
DeWanna Bonner will be just fine giving up some shots for Mabrey. The 15-year veteran is chasing her third ring. Some sacrifices need to be made.
Before the trade, Bonner averaged 13.9 shots per game. In two games back, that has fallen to 11.5. Sure, two games is hardly a sample size, but it cannot be denied the Sun have to find shots for Mabrey, who averaged 13.5 attempts per game with the Sky before the break.
Those looks will come from Connecticut’s most veteran prolific scorer, creating value in fading Bonner’s points props for the next week or so.
Prop bet #3: Jewell Loyd Over 22.5 points
This points prop is juiced to the Under (-139 at BetRivers, -125 at DraftKings), but why? Jewell Loyd is an inefficient scorer, yes. Of the 20 players scoring more than 14 points per game, only Loyd and fellow Notre Dame product Arike Ogunbowale are shooting worse than 40% from the field, Loyd at 36.4%.
But she still scores and scores plenty. Loyd has gone for 21 and 26 in the two games back from the Olympic break, taking 41 total shots between the two games.
And now she is going against a lackluster defense. In the last two months — effectively a month of games, accounting for the break — the Washington Mystics have ranked No. 10 in defensive rating.
Loyd scored 24 points against Washington in the third game of the season despite going 0-of-6 from deep. She was buoyed by marching to the free throw line 14 times, making 12 of them.
There are multiple paths to Loyd pouring in points tonight, and anytime a plus-money proposition has multiple paths to reality, there is clear and delightful value to be enjoyed.
Today’s WNBA games
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
