If you want to know why the 22-13 Atlanta Dream are comfortable 8.5-point road favorites at crypto.com Arena, look straight at the defensive glass and the injury report. The Dream bring a solid 10-7 road record into this regular season matchup, backed by a defense that holds opponents to 85.7 points per game. Meanwhile, the 12-23 Los Angeles Sparks have been offering a VIP pass to the rim all year, surrender a porous 92.7 points per contest, and have crawled to a dismal 5-11 home record. With a game total of 182.5, expect Atlanta to push the pace early and often on Prime Video at 10:00 PM EDT.
Atlanta's offense already scores a healthy 90.3 points per game, and they should have no trouble finding clean looks even with Indya Nivar and Brionna Jones sidelined. Los Angeles is dealing with a far more devastating medical sheet, missing Cameron Brink, Monique Akoa Makani, and playmaker Erica Wheeler. Losing Wheeler's 5.3 assists per game severely limits how the Sparks can get the ball to Nneka Ogwumike, leaving their offense largely stalled against an Atlanta team that features Allisha Gray's 19.7 points per game and Angel Reese dominating the glass with 12.0 rebounds per night. Will the Dream cover the big spread on the road, or do the Sparks have a surprise cover in them? Head over to StreakChat and lock in your pick.