(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Dream looks to keep themselves within the playoff hunt while the Minnesota Lynx aims to solidify their hold of the second spot in the league standings as both teams collide this Tuesday, September 10, 2024 inside Gateway Center Arena at College Park.

This will be the fourth encounter between the Dream and the Lynx this season. Minnesota won their three past encounters by an average margin of 11 points.

• Atlanta is coming off a heartbreaking 104-100 overtime defeat to the Indiana Fever on Sunday. Crafty guard Rhyne Howard had 36 points for the Dream which are currently a game behind the eighth place Chicago Sky.
• An acid test awaits the Dream next as it battles a Lynx team that has not only beaten them thrice this season but also has won 10 of its past 11 games since the Olympic break.
• Minnesota heads into this game following a 78-71 victory over the Washington Mystics.

With Atlanta fighting for its playoff hopes and Minnesota hoping to perhaps snatch the top spot from the New York Liberty, expect both teams to push the tempo at the jump.

Early Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx odds have the road team as a slight favorite but let’s see if those are worth something.

Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx DraftKings Odds for September 10, 2024

Moneyline

• Atlanta Dream: +185
• Minnesota Lynx: -225

Spread

• Atlanta Dream: +5.5 (-118)
• Minnesota Lynx: -5.5 (-102)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 159 (-110)
• UNDER 159 (-110)

Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx Injury Report

Atlanta Dream Injury Report

1. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus – Ankle – Out for the Season
2. Aerial Powers – Calf – Out

Minnesota Lynx Injury Report

1. Dorka Juhasz – Illness - Probable

Best odds for Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx

• The Atlanta Dream has covered the spread in their previous encounter with the Minnesota Lynx. The best Atlanta Dream odds to cover the +5.5 spread are available on Bwin at -110

• The Minnesota Lynx are among the best ATS road teams in the league, sporting a 12-6 ATS road record. Bet365 offers the best odds for the Lynx to cover the -5.5 spread at -105.

• The over hit in three of the past five encounters between the Dream and the Lynx. The best Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx odds for the over are available on DraftKings at -102.

Why will the Atlanta Dream cover the spread?

The Atlanta Dream is in dire need of a victory, especially with the Chicago Sky now a game above them for the final playoff position. The search for the victory does not get easier though as they take on a Minnesota Lynx team that has multiple offensive firepower.

• Fortunately for the Dream though, scoring guard Rhyne Howard is currently on fire on the offensive end of the floor. Across the past three games, the 24-year old former Kentucky star has averaged 33.3 points while shooting just above 46% from the field.

• This is in stark contrast to Howard’s past performances against the Lynx where she was only held to an average of 14.7 points in three games this season. Should Howard continue her hot shooting from the field, backing the Dream to cover the +4.5 spread at these current odds is something worth considering.

• It is also worth noting that Atlanta covered the spread in their previous encounter with Minnesota despite coming in as 7.5-point underdogs in that game. What’s even more impressive is they did it in front of a hostile Minnesota crowd.
• Plus, the Minnesota Lynx were unable to cover the spread in their last game against the Washington Mystics even though they wound up winning it.
• Atlanta, on the other hand, fought tooth-and-nail to cover the spread against the Indiana Fever in their last game to cover the spread.

One thing Atlanta needs to do here though to keep themselves within striking distance is to contain Minnesota guard Kayla McBride. The former Notre Dame guard has been a thorn on the Dream’s side, scoring 30 points or more in two of their three meetings this season.

With Atlanta fighting for its playoff hopes and only having four games left after this one, there could be value towards the +5.5 spread here.

Why will the Minnesota Lynx cover the spread?

The Minnesota Lynx have been seemingly unbeatable since the break thanks to the stellar performances of its franchise forward Napheesa Collier.

Albeit a 94-76 road loss to the Dallas Wings last August 30, the Lynx have been beating teams by an average margin of 9.8 points.

• Minnesota opened as a 5.5-point favorites in this game, which frankly is quite surprising considering that the Atlanta Dream will be without lanky forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus. It can be recalled that Parker-Tyus was among the biggest reasons why the Dream covered in their previous encounter with the Lynx.

• Aside from Parker-Tyus, the Dream will also be without guard Aerial Powers who was superb in their previous matchup against the Lynx, finishing with 11 points and four rebounds while shooting 2-out-of-3 from the three-point area.

• With Atlanta missing some of its key players here, the -5.5 spread could potentially offer significant value for punters looking for betting spots on the favorite. It is worth noting that since their return from the break, the Lynx won five of its road games by an average of 11.6 points.
• Plus, it can be recalled that the last time these two teams faced in Atlanta, the Lynx were able to beat them by double digits despite a 23-point output from Dream guard Rhyne Howard.

Several things that the Lynx have to pay attention to here though are their three-point shooting percentage and their turnovers. With Minnesota generating significant offense from downtown, they couldn’t afford to shoot as bad as they did last Sunday.

Against the Washington Mystics, the Lynx only made 29.2% of their shots from downtown while turning the ball over 16 times.

Final Atlanta Dream vs Minnesota Lynx Prediction: Minnesota Lynx -5.5 (-102)

The Minnesota Lynx have already assured themselves of a home court advantage in the first round and potentially the second round of the playoffs.

So, one would expect that they would at least slow down and get their feet off the gas but that hasn’t been the case lately. While the Atlanta Dream certainly has the firepower to frustrate this loaded Lynx team, there is just plenty of value on the latter not to pick them.