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The Washington Mystics aim to tighten its grip on the final playoff spot while the New York Liberty hope to bounce back quickly as both teams collide this Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.

Washington heads into this game in dire need of a victory after a gut-wrenching 76-73 overtime loss to the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. New York, for its part, saw its five-game win streak come into an end with an 88-79 defeat to the Minnesota Lynx.

• Both teams have met thrice this season, with the Liberty winning all three. Across its three meetings, New York won by an average margin of seven points.

It is, however, worth noting that Washington has covered the spread in their three meetings this season.

• The Liberty opened as 8.5-point favorites against the Mystics but the line has closed to as of press time.

New York and Washington are among the best teams in the league as far as Against-The-Spread (ATS) records are concerned.

• The Liberty has covered the spread in 14 of its 19 road games this season while the Mystics are 11-6 ATS at home.

With the Mystics and Liberty fighting for playoff seeding, expect both teams to come out of the gates firing in what could be another thrilling affair. As of press time, here’s how the current Washington Mystics vs New York Liberty betting lines look.

Washington Mystics vs New York Liberty DraftKings WNBA Odds for September 17, 2024

Moneyline

• Washington Mystics: +330
• New York Liberty: -425

Spread

• Washington Mystics: +8.5 (-112)
• New York Liberty: -8.5 (-108)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 161 (-110)
• UNDER 161 (-110)

Washington Mystics vs New York Liberty Injury Report

Washington Mystics Injury Report

1. Shakira Austin – Ankle – Out for the Season
2. Aaliyah Edwards – Ankle – Day-to-Day

New York Liberty Injury Report

• No Injuries

Best odds for Washington Mystics vs New York Liberty

• The Washington Mystics have covered in all of their three meetings with the New York Liberty this season. The Washington Mystics odds providing the most value to cover the spread are available on Bwin at a bargain price of -105.
• The New York Liberty is the best team in the league as far as ATS road records are concerned. DraftKings offers the best odds for the Liberty to cover the -8.5 spread at -108.
• The over hit in all of the three meetings between the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty this season. The best Washington Mystics vs New York Liberty odds for the over are available on FezBet at -100.

Why will the Washington Mystics cover the spread?

The Washington Mystics hit a major roadblock on Sunday after losing in overtime to fellow playoff hunter Atlanta Dream on Sunday. Still the good news, despite the loss, the Mystics are in the eighth spot.

The bad news, they are taking on the league leaders, New York Liberty next.

Fortunately, the Mystics have seemingly shown their fighting resolve against the Liberty this season.

• In their previous encounter, Washington was able to cut the lead to three 91-88 and had a chance to tie the game but Jade Melbourne’s 3-pointer from the wing failed to hit the mark.

It is also worth noting that Washington has covered the spread in five of their previous six games.

• What’s even more impressive is they were able to cover the spread against New York in all of their meetings this season despite coming in as 11.5-point, 14.5-point, and 9.5-point underdogs, respectively.

One thing that the Mystics have to do to give themselves a chance against the Liberty is to stay consistent across all fourth quarters.

• In their previous three meetings, Washington kept themselves afloat and even led until capitulating in the final canto.
• Moreover, Washington needs to tighten its defensive screws considering the brand of basketball New York plays. The Mystics were successful in doing that in their previous meetings with the Liberty, forcing the latter to commit an average of 17.7 turnovers per game.

Should Washington make the necessary adjustments and get the usual contributions from its key players, it’s not far-fetched to see them cover the +8.5 spread here.

With the team fighting for its playoff hopes and backed by its home crowd, expect the Mystics to come hot off the gates. The question is whether they can sustain it across all four quarters.

Why will the New York Liberty cover the spread?

The New York Liberty saw its five-game winning streak come to a heartbreaking end despite a 38-point effort from All-Star forward Breanna Stewart.

With the playoffs in the rearview mirror, New York needs a win to lock in the top spot and what better way to try to get back into the win column than take on the Washington Mystics – a team they’ve beaten thrice this season.

New York has never lost two games in a row since May. What’s even more impressive is they bounced back from losses with double-digit victories.

• ?A case in point was when they lost against the Phoenix Mercury 99-93 and bounced back with a 93-80 win over the Los Angeles Sparks in the next game.
• New York did it again last month, beating Phoenix 84-70 after losing to the Connecticut Sun a game prior.
• If twice wasn’t good enough, the Liberty beat the Seattle Storm 98-85 on the road after losing 94-88 to the Sparks.

One thing New York has to do here though is to get do-it-all guard Sabrina Ionescu going.

• The 26-year old sharpshooter was only limited to 13 points while making just 19% from the field against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.
• Moreover, the Liberty also needs to cut down its turnovers to cover the spread against the Mystics. Against Washington this season, New York has turned the ball over nearly 18 times per game.

Considering New York’s firepower and their history of bouncing back from losses, there could be potential value in the -8.5 spread here. It is worth remembering that the Liberty actually beat the Mystics by 11 earlier this season.

Final Washington Mystics vs New York Liberty Prediction: New York Liberty -8.5 (-108)

While the Washington Mystics have covered in all of their three meetings this season, I am still inclined on picking the New York Liberty to return to its winning ways in a big way.

Considering how the Liberty has bounced back in the past and the recent injury history of the Mystics, give me the road team to cover.