New York Liberty vs Phoenix Mercury Prediction & Picks (8/18)

After soundly defeating the Las Vegas Aces on their home court to win the Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday, the New York Liberty couldn’t replicate the feat in returning to regular season action last night in a 13-point loss.

However, New York will get a quick turnaround to brush aside that loss. Tonight’s WNBA schedule sees them visit the Phoenix Mercury in one of two late games (10:00 pm ET, ION).

With last night’s 88-75 at Michelob Ultra Arena, the Liberty (24-7, 12-3 away) are now four games behind the Aces (28-3) for top spot in the WNBA standings.

But they still hold a solid lead over the Connecticut Sky (21-9) for the #2 seed, which would be valuable for a potential playoff series between the two teams.

Though the Liberty are on a back-to-back, they are still expected to comfortably handle the struggling Mercury (9-21, 8-7 home), as they are favored by double digits for their visit to the Footprint Center.

New York Liberty vs Phoenix Mercury Odds

Odds are via Bovada.

Spread

• New York Liberty -13 (-105)
• Phoenix Mercury +13 (-115)

Over/Under

• Over 164.5 (-110)
• Under 164.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• New York Liberty -1400
• Phoenix Mercury +750

Will the Mercury Be No Match for the Liberty?

Along with only their second back-to-back of the season, the Liberty will be playing their third game in four days, thanks to Tuesday’s Commissioner’s Cup championship tilt.

Fortunately, New York won’t play again until they visit the Sun next Thursday (7:00 pm ET, Amazon Prime Video). But will the cluster of games have an effect on their performance tonight?

Their other back-to-back was on July 27 and 28, when they hosted the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx. On the front end, they defeated the Dream 95-84, but they suffered an 88-83 loss to the Lynx in the second game.

In that game against the Lynx, the Liberty started fast and took an early ten-point lead. But they couldn’t sustain it and trailed by as many as 17 in the second half before making a furious but ultimately unsuccessful comeback attempt.

This could certainly prove to be a challenging game for the Liberty.

The Mercury are a dozen games below .500, but that is mostly due to their woeful play on the road, where they are 1-14 this season. At home, they are a much more respectable 8-7, with two wins over the Sun.

In their most recent home game, they defeated the Sun 90-84 eight days ago. In the win, they were led by 21 points and 10 rebounds by Brittney Griner.

Griner posted a double-double again in Sunday’s visit to Seattle (12 points, 10 rebounds), but the Mercury fell 81-71 to the Storm.

Expect a much better performance at the Footprint Center. There, Phoenix is 6-1 since losing six of eight home games to begin the season.

New York Liberty vs Phoenix Mercury Prediction and Picks

Liberty vs Mercury Picks: Mercury +13.5 (-115 at Bovada) & Liberty/Mercury over 164.5 (-110 at Bovada)

In road games against teams that are currently under .500, the Liberty have a sparkling 11-1 record. The only blemish to date is their season-opening loss to the Washington Mystics, who had been above .500 for most of the season until recently.

Also, the Liberty have yet to lose consecutive games this season. And of their six wins in games following a loss, four have come by 15 or more points. So, even though this is a back-to-back for the Liberty, we should see them bounce back well tonight.

That said, the Mercury can keep things fairly competitive for 40 minutes. Also, this is a pretty big spread to cover for a favorite that is on the back end of a back-to-back.

Where to Bet on the WNBA

The Liberty vs Mercury betting odds mentioned in this article came from Bovada, but they aren’t the only sports betting site out there offering WNBA odds.

• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

There are a number of online sportsbooks that are good for betting on the WNBA, but the above books are some that we highly recommend.

While you’re here, check out our WNBA betting guide, which is handy for both new and experienced bettors.