Seattle Storm vs New York Liberty Prediction, Picks, and Odds: This Storm Barely Registers

The Seattle Storm began this East Coast road trip by getting embarrassed in Connecticut, and that is a low bar to climb under for the Storm, given they are scraping for the league’s cellar. Life only gets harder vs. the New York Liberty, with Breanna Stewart & Co. hefty favorites in this matinee. Can the Liberty handle this significant spread or can the Storm start to find some redemption?

Here are our free WNBA picks and predictions for the Storm vs the Liberty on July 8, with the tip set for 2:00 ET.

Storm vs Liberty best odds

Storm vs Liberty picks and predictions

The Storm’s last outing included an early challenge from star guard Jewell Loyd, walking to the Seattle bench during a first-half timeout asking, “Who wants to (bleeping) play today? Who wants to play today?”

The Storm trailed 29-6 after the first quarter and 57-24 at the half. The Sun are good, but they're not that good. Seattle is, however, that bad. It has gone 0-4 against the spread in its last four games, falling short of the Vegas expectation by an average of 6.6 points.

That first-half mistake stood out.

First-half Under bets had been cooking across the league for a couple of weeks, and they went 7-5 in the last week aside from that Storm stumble. Connecticut did its part, scoring 57 first-half points. But Seattle was just too terrible.

And that should continue today. Afternoon games tempt naptime lulls. For the Storm, this game is tipping off at 11 a.m. body time. For players who often do not hear a final buzzer until well past sundown and then need to unwind before bed, late-morning and early-afternoon tipoffs land right at the end of a usual circadian rhythm.

Facing a comparable defense today — Connecticut sits No. 3 in the league in defensive rating with New York at No. 4 — any early sluggishness from Seattle may doom yet another first-half total, particularly if sportsbooks have begun to adjust to a trend that was quite profitable in late June.

This full-game total of 167.5 would logically have a first-half total of 83 or 83.5 if not 82.5. Divide the full-game number in half and pull off a point or two; that is the usual first-half total math. Instead, this game sits at 84.5.

It has been inflated, but on this occasion, naptime discretion is more prudent.

My best bet: First-half total Under 84.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Storm vs Liberty spread and Over/Under analysis

As bad as Seattle has been of late, New York is simply inconsistent. This superteam has yet to properly gel, though it has won nine of its last 11 games. In that stretch, the Liberty have gone 7-4  ATS, but only 2-3 in their last five.

This spread moving toward the Liberty counters New York’s recent toe stubbings. This opened with the Liberty favored by 15.5 late Friday before ticking up to 16.5 early on Saturday. It then fell to -16.0 and has stayed there at most books.

New York has gone 3-3 this year as a double-digit favorite, including 2-1 in the last month.

This total opened at 167.5 and has not moved, which is odd considering both these teams play to the Over consistently, 10-7 to the Over for Seattle and 10-6 for New York.

Storm vs Liberty betting trend to know

The Storm are 0-4 ATS in their last four games, including as 10-point underdogs in their last two. Find more WNBA betting trends for Storm vs. Liberty.

Storm vs Liberty game info

Storm vs Liberty key injuries

Storm: None.
Liberty: Han Xu C (Out), Stefanie Dolson C (Out).
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.

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