Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Seattle Storm vs Phoenix Mercury: Can Phoenix end the drought against Seattle?
The Seattle Storm are visiting the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at Footprint Center.
The Storm have a promising season
The Seattle Storm are second in the Western Conference with a 9-4 record, including 5-3 on the road. They have won the last two games and are coming off a 92-84 win over the Dallas Wings. The Storm are fourth in the league, scoring 83.5 points per game, and are ranked fifth, shooting 43.2% from the field. Defensively, they are fourth, allowing 78.1 points per game. Jewell Loyd leads the team, averaging 20.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, followed by Nneka Ogwumike, who has 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
The Mercury are struggling this year
The Phoenix Mercury are fourth in the Western Conference with a 6-7 record. After winning back-to-back games against Minnesota and Dallas, they lost 103-99 against the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces. The Mercury are fifth in the league, averaging 88.1 points per game, but are second-to-last, shooting only 41.4% from the field. Defensively, they are tenth in the league, allowing 85.8 points per game on 35.5% shooting from deep. Kahleah Copper leads the team with 23.5 points per game, followed by Brittney Griner with 20.
Betting Trends
The Storm are 7-1 ATS in the last 8 games overall, 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a losing record, 7-1 ATS in the last 8 games following a straight-up win, 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games following an ATS win, 6-1 ATS in the last 7 games on the road, and 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games against teams from the Western Conference. Seattle has played under the total point line in 18 of the last 25 games against teams with a losing record, 5 of the last 7 games on the road, and 11 of the last 16 games following an ATS win. The Mercury are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games overall, 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games played on Sunday, 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games against teams from the Western Conference, 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games following a loss, and 11-27 ATS in the last 38 games following a two-day rest. Phoenix has played under the total point line in 4 of their last 5 games following a loss, 15 of the last 22 games played on Sunday, and 7 of the last 10 games against teams with a winning record.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both teams came into the season with high hopes, but only the Storm has met expectations so far. They are in second place in the conference and have won 8 of the last 10 games. Unlike them, the Mercury has lost 6 of the last 10 games and the last five games against the Storm. Seattle has covered the spread in each of those five wins, defeating the Mercury by an average of 14.2 points. The spread is set at -2.5-points for the storm tonight, so they should have no problem covering it.
