Mercury vs Sparks Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for WNBA Game (Phoenix Pulls Off Upset to Start 2023 Season)

The 2023 WNBA season kicks off on Friday, May 19, with an exciting matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks.

Mercury vs Sparks Game Info

• Date: Friday, May 19, 2023
• Time: 11:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena -- Los Angeles, CA
• Coverage: ESPN/ESPN+

Two teams looking to improve following subpar 2022 seasons meet head-to-head on Friday night. The Phoenix Mercury snuck into the WNBA Playoffs as the No. 8 seed before they were swept by the Las Vegas Aces, while the Los Angeles Sparks posted the worst record in the Western Conference.

Mercury vs Sparks Odds & Spread

• All WNBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PHO: (+106) | LA: (-130)
• Spread: PHO: +1.5 (-106) | LA: -1.5 (-114)
• Total: 157.5 -- Over: (-106) | Under: (-114)

The Sparks enter this contest as slight home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 11 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 157.5 points with the under favored at -114 odds.

Mercury vs Sparks Betting Trends

• Phoenix finished the 2022 WNBA season with a 4-14 road record.
• Los Angeles finished the 2022 WNBA season with a 7-11 home record.
• The total hit the over in 18 of Phoenix's 36 games in the 2022 WNBA season.
• The total hit the over in 22 of Los Angeles' 36 games in the 2022 WNBA season.

Mercury vs Sparks Prediction & Pick

There's an obvious reason folks in Phoenix are optimistic about the Mercury's upcoming season. It is because seven-time All-Star Brittany Griner re-signed with the team in the offseason. The versatile center missed the 2022 season, but averages 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in her career.

Pairing her up with veteran Diana Taurasi and superstar Skylar Diggins-Smith makes the Mercury a team to watch out for. I'm siding with them to pull off an upset against Los Angeles considering the Sparks lost two of their top three scorers from last season and need time to welcome new players.

It's worth noting Phoenix has earned a victory in four of their last seven meetings against LA, too.

Final Score Prediction: Mercury: 80 | Sparks: 75

Mercury vs Sparks Best Bet

Nneka Ogwumike is the biggest returning player for the Sparks as she averaged a reliable 18.1 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds per game last year. She has now averaged over 6.5 boards per game in 10 of her 11 WNBA seasons and gets to face a Mercury defense that allowed the most rebounds per game in 2022 (37.2). Ogwumike also averages 8.1 rebounds across 35 career games against Phoenix.

Bet: Nneka Ogwumike Over 6.5 Rebounds (-125)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.