Mercury vs Storm Prediction, Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Seattle Aims To End Four-Game Home Losing Streak
Stars May Return For Phoenix
The Seattle Storm hope to rebound from a rough second half in their last game and hand the visiting Phoenix Mercury their fifth consecutive defeat on Saturday night.
The bottom teams in the WNBA standings are starving for a victory and two key players could return from injury, making it a difficult betting decision at the sportsbook.
Phoenix has been without its two stars – Brittney Griner (hip) and Diana Taurasi (hamstring) – the last three games and the Mercury lost them by an average of 19. But both players have been upgraded to probable for Saturday.
The Storm managed 24 points after halftime Thursday in an 80-68 loss to the Indiana Fever at home, dropping to 1-7 at Climate Pledge Arena this season – 0-4 in the last four. Seattle’s only home win came on June 6 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Phoenix is currently +7000 to win the championship in WNBA live betting while Seattle is +12000.
Sutton Steps Up For Mercury
Sug Sutton poured in a career-high 21 points in the 99-79 loss to the league-leading Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday, raising her season average to 12.0.
Sophie Cunningham has also been trying to make up for the loss of Griner and Taurasi’s 35-plus points per contest. Cunningham scored 14 on Wednesday and averaged 18.8 points over the last four games, pushing his season mark to 14.5.
Griner averages 20.1 points and a league-best 2.5 blocks while Taurasi scores 15.3 per game and hands out six assists (fourth in the WNBA).
#Mercury injury report:
Brittney Griner (hip) and Diana Taurasi (hamstring) both upgraded to PROBABLE.Shey Peddy – OUT (Right Achilles)
Skylar Diggins-Smith – OUT (Pregnancy/Childbirth)@Sports360AZ #WNBATwitter
— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) June 24, 2023
Former UConn standout Moriah Jefferson has also benefited from more playing time by scoring in double figures over the past three games. Phoenix signed Jennie Simms and waived fellow guard Evina Westbrook on Thursday.
The under is 4-2-1, according to WNBA lines, in the Mercury’s last seven contests.
Loyd Hopes For Rebound
Seattle’s Jewell Loyd tops the league in scoring at 25.5 points per game, but the Notre Dame product is coming off her worst shooting effort of the season.
Loyd connected on 5-of-21 from the field despite leading the Storm with 19 points in Thursday’s setback. The 29-year-old guard is shooting 39.3% from the floor overall and 38.8 from 3-point range.
Jewell Loyd HOW?! 😳 @seattlestorm pic.twitter.com/oVLnTDtGtL
— espnW (@espnW) June 23, 2023
Ezi Magbegor has five double-doubles for Seattle and is averaging 17.3 points over her last four outings, but the two top scorers are not getting much help lately.
Ivana Dojkic is 4-for-17 from the field the last two games, Jordan Horston averaged 6.8 points over the past four and Sami Whitcomb is 4-for-18 from 3-point range since draining 6-of-10 from behind the arc in the 83-69 win at Phoenix on June 13. Horston (shoulder) is also questionable for Saturday.
The Storm is 7-4-1 ATS overall this season and 5-0 in their last five Saturday games if you are online gambling.
Mercury vs Storm Head-to-Head
Phoenix had won four straight meetings before the home loss against the Storm earlier this month.
Whitcomb had half of Seattle’s 12 buckets from 3-point range in the last matchup and finished with 18 points, one better than Loyd. Horston had 13 points and 14 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Griner had two points in nine minutes before her injury on June 13 and Taurasi was held scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting.
The over is 4-2 across the last six meetings in WNBA odds, but the teams scored under 163 in the first meeting this season.
Mercury vs Storm Game Information
- Game: Mercury (2-9) vs Storm (3-9)
- Day/Time: Saturday, June 24, 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Wash.
- Mercury vs Storm Live Stream: WNBA.com
Mercury vs Storm Betting Lines
Mercury vs Storm Picks and Prediction
The return of Taurasi and Griner would obviously be a big boost for Phoenix. With Cunningham, Sutton and Jefferson also producing, Phoenix may be able to turn things around.
The Storm must improve their shooting percentage, which is the worst in the league (38.7), but they have been a good bet this season overall. If Horston can’t play, though, that takes away a key support player for Loyd.
Take Phoenix if Griner and Taurasi are back. Both teams are .500 in over/under if you are betting online. Expect them to break out offensively..
The Mercury are listed at +115 in our Las Vegas wnba odds. This means that if you wager $100 on Phoenix, you have a chance to win $115. The Storm are -135, offering a chance to win $74 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Mercury a 46.51% chance to win, with Seattle at 57.45%.
