Odds and Bets: New York Liberty look to extend win streak
Today’s Sports Betting Picks – Thursday, July 27, 2023
Dream at Liberty: Familiar foes
Thursday’s WNBA schedule includes an Eastern Conference battle between the New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream. New York leads the conference with a 17-5 record, while Atlanta sits third at 13-10. It’s the fourth and final regular season meeting between the teams, with the Liberty winning two of three up to this point.
Atlanta is coming off a 78-65 home win over Phoenix on Tuesday. Asia (AD) Durr and Allisha Gray led the way with 12 points apiece. Leading scorer Rhyne Howard added 10 points. Rhyne, who has started every game this season, is averaging 18.6 points per game.
The Dream’s offence is averaging 85.0 ppg (fourth in WNBA), while the defence is allowing 84.7 points (ninth). A consistent issue has been turnovers, with Atlanta averaging the second-most turnovers in the league (14.6 per game).
New York won their third game in a row on Tuesday, downing Seattle 86-82 at home. Breanna Stewart once again led the way, finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds. Stewart ranks second in the WNBA in average points per game (22.6) and fourth in rebounds (9.3). Sabrina Ionescu is coming off a triple-double performance on Tuesday, dropping 12 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
The Liberty are the second-highest scoring team in the WNBA, averaging 88.7 ppg. They allow an average of 82.4 ppg, which ranks fifth in the league.
New York’s two victories against Atlanta were by 23 and 30 points, so there is real potential Thursday’s game could be another blowout.
WNBA best bet: Liberty cover as 9.0-point favourites (-110)
Angels at Tigers: Two-for-one
Thanks to Wednesday’s weather delay in Detroit, the Tigers and Angels will play a doubleheader on Thursday. Game 1 is scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. ET, while Game 2 is tentatively scheduled for 5:40 p.m. ET. The teams played on Tuesday, with L.A. coming out on top, 7-6.
Right-hander Shohei Ohtani will start the early game for the Angels. The two-way star was originally expected to pitch Friday in Toronto, but had his start moved up because of the weather delay. Ohtani, who also leads the majors with 36 home runs, has an 8-5 record with a 3.71 ERA. Lefty Patrick Sandoval (5-7, 4.16 ERA) will start the second game.
The Tigers will counter with right-handers Michael Lorenzen and Matt Manning, although it’s not clear who will start first. Lorenzen has a 5-6 record with a 3.49 ERA. He had a solid performance last time out, lasting seven innings while allowing three hits and no runs. Manning is 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA. He pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts in his last start, which was shortened because of a rain delay.
MLB best bet: Angels win series (-105)
Riders at Argonauts: Touchdown Atlantic
Even with B.C.’s starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. knocked out of the game in the first quarter last week, the Roughriders couldn’t find a way to win. Saskatchewan’s offence struggled under new starting quarterback Mason Fine as the team finished with 300 total yards, including just 16 rushing yards. Fine finished 32-for-41 for 284 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. It was just the third career CFL start for the 26-year-old, who will leads the Riders for the foreseeable future with Trevor Harris‘ season likely over due to a knee injury.
Looking at the stats doesn’t do much to improve morale in Saskatchewan as the numbers suggest the Riders are actually lucky to be a .500 football team. Saskatchewan ranks eighth in the CFL in both points per game (20.8) and sacks allowed (23). It’s the defence that has kept the season alive. The Roughriders are holding opponents to an average of 348.8 yards per game, the third-best mark in the league.
The Toronto Argonauts keep rolling as the defending Grey Cup champs look to prove their hot streak is no fluke. Quarterback Chad Kelly‘s breakout season continued last week as the 29-year-old finished 20-for-27 for 306 yards and two touchdowns while running in another TD on the ground. It was the second-straight 300-plus yard passing game for Kelly, who now ranks fourth in the CFL in total passing yards (1,408), fourth in passing touchdowns (7) and leads the league in average passing yards per game (281.6).
The Argos’ 5-0 record matches a club record set in 1960. They currently lead the CFL in almost every major statistical category, including average yards per game (411.2), rushing yards per game (129.6), QBR (115.6) and points per game (37.2). Defensively, they rank fifth in average yards allowed per game (370.4), first in rushing yards allowed (64.8) and fourth in points allowed (22.2).
Something of note; Toronto has won both their previous home games this season by an average of 19.5 points and they’re a perfect 5-0 against the spread overall. This should be a slam-dunk cover for the Argos.
CFL best bet: Toronto covers as 10.5-point favourites (-110)
