Seattle Storm (+12, -110)
Minnesota Lynx (-12, -110)
Total: 165
I know Seattle has been a disappointment thus far, but really, -12? I had to make sure I hadn’t somehow missed some big injury news or something but no; this is the spread with both teams healthy. Seattle fans certainly breathed a sigh of relief after the last game, a 109-93 win over Dallas. In that game, the Storm shot a franchise record 61.5 % from the field, an absurdly high percentage even when taking into consideration the Wings awful defense. Jewell Loyd had 27 and Breanna Stewart had 20 to lead the way, but they didn’t do it alone; Sue Bird, Crystal Langhorne and Alysha Clark also combined to score 45 points in the impressive win. Seattle still has to do better defensively and their lack of an interior force on that end is a problem, but for now, all is well on the Storm front.
I sincerely hesitate to breakdown the Lynx too much due to the face that the WNBA world is saturated with Lynx coverage (and rightfully so). I’ll be brief: Minnesota is one of the best teams on both ends of the floor and on any given night, one of five or six players can destroy you. They are the presumed favorites until otherwise noted.
Preseason, I selected Seattle as my dark horse contender pick. While that may not happen, I can’t overlook their talent. I think Minnesota wins but with the 12 points I’ll take Seattle and the over.