Mercury vs. Sparks Predictions, Picks & Odds: Veteran-Led Squads Look to Start WNBA Season Strong
Ring in the brand new WNBA season in style on Friday night with our Mercury vs. Sparks prediction based on the best WNBA odds.
The 2023 WNBA regular season officially tips off on Friday! Among the quartet of games scheduled for Opening Night is an interesting Western Conference showdown between the Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks, with the Mercury entering the season fourth by the WNBA Championship odds.
Both of these teams were remarkably inconsistent a year ago. The Mercury managed to sneak into the playoffs by a single game as the 8-seed but were quickly eliminated. Meanwhile, the Sparks wound up with the second-worst record in the WNBA and fell well short of postseason play. Each team will be hoping to rebound in 2023, and a season-opening win would be a great start.
Here is our best Mercury vs. Sparks prediction (odds via our best sports betting apps; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Mercury vs. Sparks prediction
Mercury +2.5 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐
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Motivation figures to be plenty high for both teams on Friday night with this game marking the start of a brand new season. While the first few games of a season can be the toughest to predict, there are a couple of key factors behind our decision to side with the underdog Mercury.
Phoenix will have a bit of added emotion surrounding this season-opener as it marks the return of Brittney Griner to WNBA action after a year away due to legal trouble. What’s more, getting their star center back will be massive for the Mercury in this particular matchup. Griner will help her team offset Nneka Ogwumike and the rest of the Sparks’ talented frontcourt.
Check out our WNBA Championship picks and MVP odds
The backcourt is where the Merc figure to have a pretty decisive advantage in this contest. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Diana Taurasi aren’t young, but they remain very dangerous at the offensive end. The Sparks had the third-worst scoring offense in the league last year and ranked dead last in 3-point field goal percentage.
Even with home-court advantage in L.A.’s favor, the Mercury should be able to keep this one competitive throughout and perhaps even steal a road win.
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Mercury vs. Sparks best odds
FanDuel +1.5 (-106)
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +1 | +1.5 | +1.5 | +1.5 | +1.5 |
| -110 | -106 | -110 | -110 | -115 |
Into Friday evening, FanDuel is now the best spot to go for Mercury backers with -106 for Phoenix to cover the consensus spread of +1.5. DraftKings is the outlier shop with a flat 1-point spread and only -110 odds on either side.
Mercury vs. Sparks game info
- Date: Friday, May 19, 11 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Mercury vs. Sparks picks made 05/18/2023 at 6 p.m. ET.
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