Two of the WNBA best players square off on Friday evening with Elena Della Donne and the Washington Mystics hosting Arike Ogunbowale and the Dallas Wings.
Della Donne is off to a great start, averaging 21.0 points per game while shooting 58.3 percent from 3 in four games, but the Mystics have struggled to find other offensive options this season. Not a single other player on the roster is averaging more than 9.3 points per game.
Ogunbowale is also scoring the ball at a high rate (25.3 points per game), leading the Wings to a 3-1 start this season.
Dallas comes into this game as an underdog, but can it cover the spread? Washington is 1-1 in two home games, but it would love to pick up a win in this matchup.
Here are the odds and my best bet for this Friday night matchup:
Wings vs. Mystics odds, spread and total
Wings vs. Mystics prediction and pick
The Wings' lone loss this season was by six points on the road to the Chicago Sky, but they did look better in a home win over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night.
These two teams play very contrasting styles, as the Mystics would much rather slow the game down and defend (No. 2 in defensive rating), than play at the fast pace that the Wings do.
Dallas enters this game No. 1 in the WNBA in pace and No. 2 in offensive rating with three players averaging double figures on the season in Ogunbowale (25.3), Satou Sabally (22.3) and Natasha Howard (18.8).
I question if the Mystics will be able to hold this offense down, and I don't see Washington being able to push a massive lead either.
The Mystics rank dead last in the WNBA in 3-point percentage this season, and that's despite Della Donne shooting 58.3 percent on three attempts from deep per game.
Dallas is averaging 14.0 points per game more than the Mystics in the 2023 campaign, and I at least expect the team's offense to play well enough to hang around in this matchup.
6.5 points is too many for me to lay with a Washington team that doesn't have a ton of secondary scoring so far this season.
—
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
