The 2021 WNBA is reaching the climax of the regular season with just September’s fixtures left to go.
So far it has been an enthralling season, and all of the teams involved in the league who have not already qualified, still have a chance of making it to the play-offs.
The latest team to make the playoffs is Phoenix Mercury. Earlier this week they confirmed their place, where they will join Connecticut Sun, Las Vegas Aces, and Seattle Storm. There is still a further four spots up for grabs.
In the latest outright betting, we can see that Las Vegas Aces are the current favorites with online sportsbooks. Bill Laimbeer’s team is +230 to win the 2021 Championship outright.
Chief rivals – in the eyes of the sportsbooks – are Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm. Both are +275.
The big movers in the Moneyline across the course of the season are the Sun. Back in April Curt Miller’s Ladies started the season off at +1000 with the best sports betting sites. Now they are as short as just +275.
This has been down to some exceptional home form, but stiffer tasks do await the Eastern Conference leaders if they are to go all the way.
Pre-season favorites Las Vegas Aces are still top with the betting sites. They started the campaign at +200 with BetOnline, and are now +230, so not much difference there.
The Aces are where you would expect them to be, on the top of the Western Conference. But I’m sure privately they would be admitting they’ve lost one or two matches more than they would have wanted to.
A win/loss ratio of nineteen to seven is good, but when you compare it to Connecticut who is twenty-one to six, it doesn’t look as great as it could.
If you’re looking for a pick for the outright winner, the form says Connecticut is the team to beat. But the Aces are favorites for a reason.
Last season the Aces topped the conference, and they know how to get the job done. That said, they did slip up in the playoffs, eventually losing the Best of Five final 3-0 to Seattle Storm.
The form has been a problem for the Aces of late. They are seven wins to three in their last ten matches. Compare that to the Sun, who are on a nine-match winning streak, and you can see why the gap in the betting odds has closed.
The problem for Connecticut Sun is the age-old question, have they peaked too soon?
The Aces have been there and done it. While the Sun is a team on the up, who haven’t had that recent experience of getting over the final hurdle on the run-in.
So, do you back the team on the up or the team who have been there, done it, and got the T-Shirt?
I’m going to go for the latter. I’m not convinced they are the best value at their odds of +230, but when push comes to shove, I’m backing experience and I expect Las Vegas Aces to win the 2021 Championship.
In the next round of matches, there are some exciting matchups.
Thursday sees the Aces back in action, at home to Chicago Sky on the strip.
The Aces are a decent-looking -256 on the Moneyline to win one.
They know they can’t afford any more slip-ups if they want to win the Championship, so I’m making Las Vegas Aces my pick to win this clash.
Also playing on Thursday is the Dallas Wings and Atalanta Dream.
These are two sides badly out of form. Dallas has lost 7 of their last 10. While Atalanta has lost ten in a row and has only six wins to their name all season.
If Dallas wants to make the playoffs, this simply is a match they must win.
In their last outing against Washington Mystics, Dallas was 35 points to 19 up at the halfway point.
They managed to run out of gas and get pipped by just 1 point, in the end, losing 76 points to 75. The Wings lost the last quarter 28-22.
Dallas will regard that match as snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they will have to shake off that defeat pretty swiftly.
I think they will manage to do so, and I’m taking Dallas Wings to win this match at -250 for my second betting pick.
In their match previous to the Mystics defeat, Dallas beat the Mystics 82 points to 77, so they know how to defeat Thursday’s opponents.
With the WNBA getting to the business end of the season, make sure you read our guide to WNBA betting.
The guide gives you all the helpful betting tips you need and also brings you reviews of the best sportsbooks to use for betting on women’s Basketball.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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