WNBA Best Bets and Player Props for Tuesday 9/24/24

The WNBA season is rolling along, and fans and bettors alike can get into the action on FanDuel Sportsbook.

The W's 40-game season offers a wide variety of betting options, including point spreads, moneylines, and totals. While there's a lot to sift through, advanced stats from the WNBA can help us find an edge in the betting market.

Let's dive into the WNBA odds on FanDuel Sportsbook and find today's best bets.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

WNBA Best Bets

Atlanta Dream at New York Liberty

1st Half Over 77.5 Points (-112)

The No. 8 seed Atlanta Dream face elimination in tonight's Game 2 versus the No. 1 seed New York Liberty.

New York won Game 1 by a score of 83-69 and enter this one as the 12.5-point home favorite. That's a pretty big spread for a playoff elimination game, but that's what you get when you've been the most dominant WNBA team in 2024. Instead of backing either side here, I prefer to bet this one by targeting the first half over.

This season, New York ranked 7th in pace while Atlanta ranked 11th. I'm all about pace, and those slow tempos don't exactly sound like a matchup where we would want to grab the over. However, a 77.5-point first-half total is a fairly low bar to clear when we have one offense that is capable of 30-point quarters and one offense that is due for shooting regression.

Let's start with the Liberty. They led the league in offensive rating and averaged 44.0 first-half points during the regular season. The team is famous for their first-quarter scoring barrage, averaging 23.6 points in that frame while no other team averages more than 21.9 points in any quarter. We saw just how early this lethal offense can strike in Game 1 after the Liberty put up 29 points in the opening period.

It's no secret why New York has managed to pound on the points early, as Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart typically play the entirety of the opening frame. They each averaged 9.2 first-quarter minutes in the regular season while Stewart played the entire quarter in Game 1 and Ionescu was subbed-out with 45 seconds left. Ionescu (first) and Stewart (second) led the league in offensive rating this season (among players who suited up for at least 30 games and averaged at least 20 minutes).

This 12.5-point spread reeks of garbage time potential, so I want to target the over when I know Stewie and Ionescu will be in there.

Let's turn to Atlanta's offense. The Dream shot well below average from the field (39.7% FG%) and the three-point line (18.8% 3P%) in Game 1. They also missed seven free throws in that one. You will never beat the Liberty by scoring just 69 points.

Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combined for just 23 points in Game 1, another thing that just can't happen again if the Dream want to save their season.

Shooting regression could be inbound for this team. Perhaps more stable, we should expect Howard and Gray to do everything they can to get going early. It's hard to climb out of a double-digit deficit against New York, so Atlanta's star guards could act quickly tonight.

In Game 1, these teams combined for 78 first-half points despite the Dream contributing just 30 points to that total. Let's look for more of the same from New York and more valiant and urgent efforts from Atlanta's offense tonight.

Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces

Storm +7.5 (-112)

Yesterday, the No. 5 seed Seattle Storm were 9.0-point 'dogs for Game 2 against the No. 4 seed Las Vegas Aces. Clearly, that line has moved, yet I still see some value in backing Seattle.

Game 1 of this series was super-duper competitive -- that is until the fourth quarter hit. The Storm entered the fourth with a 65-64 lead but threw up all over themselves in the final period, scoring just two points and going 0-for-12 from the field. Vegas prevailed with a 78-67 win.

Nneka Ogwumike (51.1% FG%; 40.5% 3P%) is one of the most steady shooters in basketball, and if you ask anyone in the league, they'll tell you no one can go off quite like Jewell Loyd, last season's scoring leader. I'm more than ready to chalk Sunday's fourth quarter up to pure bad luck.

Seattle was within striking distance in Game 1, even with Vegas getting a monster 20-point performance from bench star Tiffany Hayes via efficient shooting (8-for-12).

Even more notable? The Storm were without starting center Ezi Magbebor (concussion) in Game 1. Magbebor averages 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. She owns the second-best defensive rating (behind only Jonquel Jones) among starting centers in the W and shoots the ball at a 51.2% clip (seventh-best in WNBA).

Magbebor is not listed on today's injury report. Tonight, she can help the Storm maintain an offensive spark and keep A'ja Wilson in check. Mercedes Russell filled in for Magbebor in Game 1. She held a +1 plus/minus and grabbed 12 boards on Sunday, out-rebounding Wilson. However, she did commit five turnovers. The 6-foot-6 Russell has the size to make an impact on the defensive end opposite Wilson, and with Magbebor back, they can hopefully keep the ball out of her hands.

I understand how threatening the big, bad, back-to-back champion Aces are, but Seattle has a mature playoff team with Ogwumike, Loyd, and Skylar Diggins-Smith. I'll side with the Storm to keep what could be their final game of the season within seven points.

Jewell Loyd To Score 20+ Points (+210)

If Seattle wants to send this series back home -- or cover -- they'll need to get a vintage Jewell Loyd performance. Loyd certainly has a scoring outburst in her bag, especially after being limited to an uncharacteristic six points in Game 1.

Loyd averaged 19.7 points per game this season. She notched at least 20 points in 19 out of 37 games (51.4% of contests) but these +210 odds imply just a 32.2% probability. I'm keen on taking advantage of this buy-low opportunity.

Vegas' defense is not overly threatening. They ended the regular season with a 99.6 defensive rating (fifth) and held a 98.1 defensive rating (sixth) across their last 15 games. Seattle (third) and Vegas (fourth) also play at a pretty fast pace, which helps our scoring environment.

Loyd lit the Aces up twice this season for 25 and 28 points. She shoots the fourth-most field goal attempts in the league, and we can bet that shot volume will come out to play in an elimination game. You can get Loyd Over 16.5 Points at +100, but I'm good to shoot even higher at these +210 odds.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.