Phoenix Mercury vs. Los Angeles Sparks
May 25, 2022 10:30 pm EDT
The Line: Phoenix -4
(Get latest betting odds)
The Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury face off on Wednesday in a WNBA showdown at Crypto.com Arena. When these two teams faced off in June 2021 it was the Mercury that secured the 88-79. Both of these teams have gotten out to slow starts to the season, and this is a big game for both teams as they try to turn around their season.
The Sparks come into this game with a 2-5 record overall and in the last game against the Las Vegas Aces, the defense really struggled, giving up 104 points, and that led to the blowout defeat. The Sparks were outscored 39-19 in the first quarter, and they were never able to bounce back as they were blown out. The Sparks are averaging 80 points, while their defense is giving up 85.1 points per game. The Sparks offense is ranked 7th, while their defense is ranked 8th. Nneka Ogwumike has been the top player for the Sparks, averaging 16 points while shooting 54.3 percent from the field.
On the other side of this matchup is the Phoenix Mercury who sits with a 2-4 record overall and in the last game against the Las Vegas Aces, they gave up 100 points and that led to the 20-point defeat. The offense still scored 80 points in the game, but the defense didn’t give them a chance to find success. The Mercury are averaging 82 points, while their defense is giving up 87.8 points per game. The offense is ranked 3rd in the league, but their defense is ranked 11th. Skylar-Diggins Smith has been the top player for Mercury, averaging 17 points while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep.
The Mercury’s defense didn’t look great in the last game, giving up 100 points, and I expect the Sparks offense is going to have no issue running up the score in this game. The Sparks are averaging 80 points per game, and they should get over that number in this game. At home, the Sparks are going to have the upper hand, and they will cover the spread.
