Only one game is scheduled in the WNBA for Thursday night, but it is an interesting one nonetheless. The Washington Mystics will seek to win for the fourth time in their last five games when they travel to the Big Apple to face the New York Liberty. The two teams actually faced off head-to-head all of 15 days ago as well. New York came away with a four-point upset win on the road in that contest. Despite getting the better of Washington the first time around, the WNBA betting odds have the hosts priced as the underdog for tonight’s Mystics vs Liberty prediction.
The following game preview includes our official Mystics vs Liberty prediction, the injury report for both teams, WNBA betting odds from BetOnline Sportsbook, key betting trends and much more!
Mystics vs Liberty Prediction, WNBA Betting Odds and Game Info
WNBA Regular Season Game
Washington Mystics (10-6, 5-2 Away) vs. New York Liberty (5-9, 3-5 Home)
Date: Thursday, June 16, 2022
Time: 7 PM EST
Venue: Barclays Center — Brooklyn, NY
Mystics vs Liberty WNBA Betting Game Preview
Washington Mystics Preview
Thursday night’s contest marks the start of a difficult stretch for the Mystics. In addition to three of their next five games coming against teams with winning records, four of them are away from home. On the bright side, Washington comes into tonight’s game with momentum after routing Phoenix on Tuesday. On a more negative front, the Mystics will be without a key contributor in Elena Delle Donne for tonight’s WNBA betting matchup.
Delle Donne returned from a back injury to play 26 minutes in Tuesday’s win but hardly seemed to be herself on the floor. With a difficult stretch of games upcoming, it appears the Mystics have opted to take a cautious approach with the former league MVP. Of course, if rookie Shakira Austin plays as well as she did on Tuesday, Delle Donne will hardly be missed. The blossoming center posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win over Phoenix two days ago. Washington will also rely on the backcourt tandem of Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud to orchestrate things at the offensive end.
New York Liberty Preview
Although the Liberty enter Thursday’s home game off a loss, the overall vibe surrounding this team has certainly improved. New York snapped what was a seven-game losing skid on the first day of June and has won four of six overall this month. While the Liberty remain four games under .500, no one can deny that things have been trending in the right direction over the last two weeks. This is likely a big reason for why several members of the WNBA betting public have been willing to back New York in tonight’s Mystics vs Liberty prediction.
While the Liberty won’t be without their best player for Thursday’s home game, they do have multiple injuries that bettors must be aware of. The team’s third-leading scorer, Betnijah Laney, is set to remain out until late July with a knee injury. The other name that stands out on the injury report is guard Rebecca Allen. She is officially doubtful to play tonight with an illness. Fortunately, the Liberty will count both Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Howard among the players who will be available this evening.
Mystics vs Liberty WNBA Betting Odds
All WNBA betting odds for Mystics vs Liberty can be found at BetOnline Sportsbook.
Moneyline: WAS: (-175) | NY: (+155)
Point Spread: WAS: -4 (-107) | NY: +4 (-113)
Total: 157 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting Percentages via Action Network: WAS: (45%) | NY: (55%)
Mystics vs Liberty Betting Trends
- Mystics are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games.
- The UNDER is 6-1 in the Mystics’ last seven road games.
- Liberty are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
- Four of the Liberty’s last five games following an ATS win have gone OVER the total.
- Five of the last seven Mystics vs Liberty head-to-head matchups have stayed UNDER the total.
Washington Mystics Injury Report
Out: Elena Delle Donne (rest)
New York Liberty Injury Report
Out: Betnijah Laney (knee); Jocelyn Willoughby (quad)
Doubtful: Rebecca Allen (illness)
Mystics vs Liberty Stats
- Washington is averaging 80.3 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 7 in the WNBA).
- Washington is surrendering 75.2 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 1 in the WNBA).
- New York is averaging 76.6 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 11 in the WNBA).
- New York is surrendering 82.1 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 8 in the WNBA).
Mystics vs Liberty Prediction
For what it’s worth, it seems as though the WNBA betting market is overreacting to the fact that the Mystics will be without Elena Delle Donne in tonight’s contest. The fact that Washington ruled her out well in advance (on Wednesday) and listed it as “rest” means that her absence should have already been baked into the opening point spread that bookmakers set for this game.
Based on how well the Liberty have been playing of late, it makes total sense why some bettors might have fired on the opening spread of Mystics -4.5. However, with the line now having moved half a point from that and the juiced WNBA betting odds suggesting that it could drop further still, buying back on Washington is the best option.
Here’s the thing: the Mystics have already proven that they don’t need Delle Donne to win basketball games. Prior to Tuesday’s blowout of Phoenix at home, Washington had won two of three games in which Delle Donne played a grand total of seven minutes. A win over Chicago in which their superstar exited early and never returned was very eye-opening.
The Mystics also blew out Minnesota on the road and even went to overtime with Phoenix last Sunday prior to exacting revenge two days later. It’s worth noting that Delle Donne does not currently lead the Mystics in any major statistical categories either. Ariel Atkins, Shakira Austin and Natasha Cloud are more than capable of leading Washington to a road win over a Liberty team that is inferior in terms of overall depth and talent.
Mystics vs Liberty Prediction: Mystics -4 (-107 at BetOnline Sportsbook)
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