BEST BET: PHO +7.5
Tboyrent makes a much more succinct case for PHO than I can:
<< looking at Phoenix + the points, mainly because of the past record against Wash. Also if this holds true like the NBA a road dog wins outright, next game are a fav, PLAY THE DOG.
the power rating diff is 9 in the Wash game, also Phoe 0-7 on rd, last game of 5 on the rd, and Wash only giving 6. I think something smells funny and it isn't the womens shorts either >>
Both teams are playing tired: this is the Mystics 4th game in 6 days and the Mercury?s 5th game on the road in 8 days.
IMO, WA is overrated after their 63-51 win vs Orlando last night: ORL was playing without their leading rebounder, Taj McWilliams-Franklin (who is pregnant) and without Elaine Powell who they traded yesterday to DET for Wendy Palmer. And Palmer wasn?t yet available to play.
WA played without their star Holdsclaw and point guard Annie Burgess who has had a strained calf. Holdsclaw is out but Burgess is probable for tonight?s game.
Without Burgess, the Mystics were sloppy with the ball, committing a season-high 24 turnovers.
WA won the game because ORL played even worse: shooting just 31% and committing 16 turnovers. Katie Douglas was just 2-10 and Shannon Johnson 3-12. The team went 3-20 from the arc.
Much to my chagrin PHO somehow hung in there last night versus a motivated and rested Liberty team. PHO was down the whole game but played pretty well against NY?s tough D: they shot 49% as a team including 8-13 from the arc. Leading scorer Jennifer Gillom was 8-14 from the field, including 2-3 from the arc for a total of 25 points.
As Tboyrent alludes to, PHO is 3-0 all time at Washington.
And while Burgess may play, she has missed a couple of games and won?t be 100%.
Might be worth a small play on the ML +280 also.
gl