Storm vs. Mystics: WNBA odds, expert picks for Sunday, 5/19

Storm vs. Mystics Odds

Friday, May 17, 3 p.m. ET, League Pass

Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute WNBA odds here.

Seattle Storm

I've gotten a good look at this Seattle team and even previewed its second game of the season against the Minnesota Lynx. One thing I highlighted heading into the matchup was that Seattle looks worse from the perimeter following the departures of Kia Nurse (Sparks) and Ivana Dojkic (Liberty).

Nurse shot 35% from beyond the arc, with Dojkic shooting 41.8%.

Although Skylar Diggins-Smith and Victoria Vivians replaced the two outgoing players, neither arrival shot 30% or better on 3-point attempts in the previous campaign.

My criticism of the Storm proved sound, as the team shot just 5-of-20 (25%) from beyond the arc against the Lynx.

Seattle's Jewell Loyd is off to a slow start by her standards, averaging 16 points through two games after leading the league in scoring last year with 24.7 per game.

Nneka Ogwumike is currently the team's leading scorer (22.0 PPG), but she'll likely need more help from her teammates.

Seattle must also be mindful not to wear out the 13-year veteran.

Ogwumike is questionable (ankle) on the injury report following the double-overtime loss against Minnesota.

However, despite her "questionable" status, I'd lean more toward Ogwumike playing on Sunday.

Washington Mystics

Washington is one team I strongly considered as a candidate in the win totals futures market. Sportsbooks hung a win total of 11.5, which I felt was a bit short, even for a team missing its best player, Elena Delle Donne.

The seven-time All-Star is taking a break from basketball after opting not to sign a one-year super max deal offered by the Mystics.

However, I still liked the nucleus of this Washington team, with Austin now as the centerpiece. At 6-feet, 5-inches, Austin can affect the game on both ends of the court, and she's continued to show progress in her third year in the league.

Defensively, Austin's mobility and ability to protect the paint helped give the Mystics a chance against two of the better teams in the league to start the season.

The Ole Miss product had a +7 plus-minus rating in the 85-80 loss to the Liberty.

Washington played its first two games with two centers as Stefanie Dolson joined Austin in the starting lineup.

Thus, it'll be interesting to see if the team opts for a smaller starting lineup, perhaps with Shatori Walker-Kimbrough as a third guard, or whether it chooses to go with another frontcourt player in Myisha Hines-Allen or Aaliyah Edwards.

Either way, there are too many moving parts for my liking, especially if the Mystics are without a second player since Sykes is doubtful for the game.

Storm vs. Mystics

Betting Pick & Prediction

This is usually a spot where I'd look to target some player props, but unfortunately, the sportsbooks have been slow to price that market.

As a result, we'll probably have to get creative to find a play in this matchup.

Since I don't trust Seattle enough to cover the spread, I'm much more willing to back the visitors straight up on the moneyline. However, I simply can't bring myself to lay almost 3-to-1.

But if we combine a Storm moneyline (-250) with an alternate total under 170.5 points (-250) to create a same-game parlay (bet365), we can reduce our odds to -105.

Although the Storm had to expend more energy in their double overtime loss, they need to win this game before facing a challenging scheduling spot against the Liberty.

Thus, look for the Seattle to do enough to leave D.C. with its first win of the season.

Pick: Same Game Parlay (-105): Storm ML + ALT Under 170.5 total points