After an arduous 40-game regular season schedule, the 2023 WNBA playoffs are set to begin on Wednesday night with two Game 1s between the Minnesota Lynx-Connecticut Sun (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2) and the Chicago Sky-Las Vegas Aces (10 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Aces are looking to win their second-straight WNBA title after having an excellent regular season, where they finished with the best record in the WNBA (34-6).
However, the Aces have to get past a Sky squad that saw their former head coach James Wade leave early in the season to take a job with the Toronto Raptors, but they still found a way to get into the postseason. As for the Sun, they’ve played excellent hoops this season under head coach Stephanie White, who replaced Curt Miller, now with the Sparks.
Connecticut is looking to return to the WNBA Finals for the second consecutive year but with a different result. They are led by MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas, who has six triple-doubles this season. Thomas also averaged 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game in the regular season. The Sun will open up the postseason at home against Napheesa Collier and the Lynx, who are back in the WNBA playoffs after finishing in ninth last season.
Below, we’ll highlight some of our favorite player prop bets for these two Game 1s using odds from DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks.
WNBA Best Bets for Wednesday
1. Kelsey Plum, Aces – Over 4.5 assists (-113, FanDuel)
One of my favorite player prop bets on Wednesday’s two-game slate is Plum over 4.5 assists. The two-time All-Star guard is known for her scoring (18.7 ppg) and shooting ability (47.5% FG, 38.9% 3pt), but she’s also good at getting her teammates involved. Plum is averaging 4.5 assists per game this season for the Aces, which is second behind Chelsea Gray (insert number).
Heading into the playoffs, Plum has gone OVER 4.5 assists in five out of her last 10 games, including a 10-assist performance on Aug. 31 against the Mystics. The star guard has been successful against the Sky this season, going OVER 4.5 assists in two out of three matchups. We believe this trend continues on Wednesday night as Chicago allowed 20.8 assists per game (second-worst in the WNBA) this season.
2. A’ja Wilson, Aces – Over 9.5 rebounds (-120, DraftKings)
Staying in the Sky-Aces game, we’ll take a shot on Wilson’s rebounding prop against a formidable Chicago frontcourt that features Elizabeth Williams and Alanna Smith. Chicago might not have Smith, who is listed as a game-time decision after leaving Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury.
Wilson has put together another stellar season for Las Vegas, averaging 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The five-time All-Star forward has only gone OVER 9.5 rebounds in four out of her last 10 contests, which might make bettors nervous.
However, she has recorded more than 9.5 boards in two out of three matchups against the Sky this season. Chicago is also ranked 11th in defensive rebounds per game (24.6), which is great news for Wilson, who averaged 7.5 defensive boards per game and was ranked third in defensive rebound percentage (26.5).
3. Alyssa Thomas, Sun – Over 7.5 assists (-125, FanDuel)
Thomas has a great matchup on Wednesday night against the Lynx, who allowed 20.7 assists per game during the season (third-worst in the WNBA). The versatile and uber-talented forward has been one of the best players in the league and one of the reasons why Connecticut finished with a top-three record.
Thomas posted 7.9 assists per game in the regular season and had an assist percentage of 37.9, which is a career-high. When the ball is moving and the offense is flowing, good things happen for the Sun. Thomas has dished out more than 7.5 assists in six out of her last 10 games. She’s also gone over 7.5 assists in three out of four games against the Lynx this season, averaging 10.3 per game. Based on those stats, bettors might also want to consider sprinkling a little bit on Thomas to have 10+ assists for +205.
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