WNBA Playoffs: Sparks Host Lynx

Sparks and Lynx Battle in Single-Elimination 1st Round Game

The Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks will meet in the WNBA Playoffs on Tuesday night. They will battle at STAPLES Center in a winner take all first round matchup. They will be the late game on ESPN2, starting at 10:30 pm EST.

The Mercury hosts the Wings at 8:30 to start the action in another single-elimination contest.

Oddsmakers opened the Sparks as -7-point favorites versus the Lynx, while the game's total opened at 152.5. The line now has the Sparks as 5.5-point favorites. The total is down to 149.

Sparks and Lynx are Familiar Playoff Foes

The top rivalry in the WNBA will write another Playoff chapter. This is a saga that has produced two of the best WNBA Finals in league history. Only this time, the teams won’t square off with the championship on the line. That shouldn't affect the intensity.

This is the fourth straight postseason that the Sparks and Lynx have met. In 2015 the Lynx defeated the Sparks 2-1 in the opening round in the Western Conference. This was en route to their third WNBA title.

This was also the last year of the Eastern and Western Conferences being used in playoff seeding.

In each of the past two seasons the Lynx and Sparks have finished 1-2 in the standings. This was under the new playoff format.  Each team earned byes to the semifinals. They eventually met in the WNBA Finals.

Past History Says this Game will be Good

In 2016, the Sparks stunned the Lynx on their home floor with a Game 5 victory. This was courtesy of a Nneka Ogwumike game-winner with 3.1 seconds left to win the title for the first time in 14 years.

The next season the teams faced a similar predicament. A winner-take-all Game 5 in Minnesota for the championship. After watching the Sparks celebrate the year before, the Lynx got their revenge behind a huge game from MVP Sylvia Fowles.

A clutch jumper by Maya Moore to thwart a late Sparks run. The Lynx captured their fourth title to join the Houston Comets for the most in league history. It also preventing the Sparks from being the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2002.

Lynx Looking for Title #5

The Lynx look for title No. 5 as the postseason opens. They face a much tougher road than they have in the past. Both teams are experiencing the do-or-die opening two rounds of the playoffs for the first time.

The Lynx they will have to win two road games before having a chance to host a playoff game in the semifinals.

Considering this is a one-game series between these bitter rivals, it should be noted that the Sparks won Game 1 in each of the past two WNBA Finals. And did so in dramatic fashion.

In 2016, Chelsea Gray found Alana Beard in the corner for a game-winning jumper at the buzzer. A year later, Gray called her own number.

The Sparks squandered a 26-point lead and saw the Lynx go up one with 6.5 seconds to play. Gray delivered a game-winning jumper with two seconds left.

Recent Form

Name	Record	ATS	Offense	Defense	Diff	ATS Home	ATS Away	OU Record	OU Home	OU Away
Minnesota	18-16	12-21-1	78.94	78.26	0.67999999999999	5-12	7-9-1	12-22	9-8	3-14
Los Angeles	19-15	15-17-2	78.91	77.00	1.91	7-9-1	8-8-1	14-20	3-14	11-6

Power Stats

Assists Turnovers
Name	Assists	Turnovers	Ratio
MIN	19.56	13.62	1.44
LOS	18.35	10.94	1.68

Rebounding
Name	Offense	Defense	Total
MIN	8.94	26.32	35.26
LOS	7.24	24.09	31.33

ShootingPercentage
Name	Offense	Defense	Differential
MIN	45.10	44.53	0.57
LOS	45.24	45.01	0.23

Head To Head Summary

Team	record	ATS	O/U	AVG	AVG ½	FG%	REB	3PT	steals
Minnesota	4-6	3-7	3-7	73.50	36.30	45.94	36.40	43/124	6.50
Los Angeles	6-4	7-3	3-7	75.60	36.00	44.56	29.20	46/174	9.50

Head To Head Detail

Date	Away	away score	Home	home score	line	ATS	Total	O/U	FG% Edge	Reb Edge	3PT Edge	Away Half Score	Home Half Score	Away FG%	Home FG%	Away Rebounds	Home Rebounds	Away Three Pointers	Home Three Pointers	Away Steals	Home Steals
Aug 2, 2018	MIN	57	LOS	79	-3	LOS	153.5	U	LOS	MIN	LOS	29	40	41	49.2	35	30	1/10	8/16	5	7
Jul 5, 2018	LOS	72	MIN	83	-3.5	MIN	154	O	MIN	MIN	MIN	35	38	42.4	51.8	27	33	6/20	8/13	7	3
Jun 3, 2018	MIN	69	LOS	77	-6	LOS	158	U	LOS	MIN	MIN	38	40	47.3	51.6	31	25	5/14	3/13	5	6
May 20, 2018	LOS	77	MIN	76	-7	LOS	154.5	U	MIN	MIN	Push	32	38	40.3	49.1	25	41	3/18	3/7	14	4
Oct 4, 2017	LOS	76	MIN	85	-4.5	MIN	153.5	O	LOS	MIN	Push	35	41	45.3	44.9	29	46	2/18	2/10	14	9
Oct 1, 2017	MIN	80	LOS	69	-2.5	MIN	152	U	MIN	MIN	Push	43	31	42.4	40.6	48	28	5/12	5/22	8	13
Sep 29, 2017	MIN	64	LOS	75	-3	LOS	154.5	U	LOS	LOS	MIN	26	32	40.3	42.9	27	34	7/20	5/17	11	11
Sep 26, 2017	LOS	68	MIN	70	-6.5	LOS	158.5	U	MIN	MIN	LOS	26	45	38.7	44.4	29	36	3/12	1/6	6	9
Sep 24, 2017	LOS	85	MIN	84	-5.5	LOS	157	O	MIN	MIN	LOS	43	33	47.8	50	34	35	7/20	5/14	6	6
Aug 27, 2017	MIN	67	LOS	78	-2.5	LOS	155.5	U	MIN	MIN	MIN	32	46	49.2	47	32	31	6/18	4/18	5	11

WNBA Betting Odds and Trends

Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
Minnesota is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Minnesota's last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Minnesota's last 12 games on the road
Minnesota is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Minnesota's last 13 games when playing Los Angeles
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles

Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 9 games
Los Angeles is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Los Angeles is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Los Angeles's last 19 games at home
Los Angeles is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Los Angeles's last 13 games when playing Minnesota
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

Team Last 5 Games

Minnesota Lynx

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	ATS Result	field goal percentage	free throw percentage	three pointers	Location
Aug 19, 2018	WAS	88-83	W	1.5	158	W/O	57.38	92.31	6	H
Aug 17, 2018	CON	79-96	L	5.5	161	L/O	49.30	100.00	3	A
Aug 14, 2018	CHI	88-91	L	-9.5	163.5	L/O	46.48	63.16	10	H
Aug 12, 2018	SEA	72-81	L	3	163.5	L/U	41.33	100.00	6	H
Aug 9, 2018	LAV	89-73	W	1.5	168	W/U	50.00	69.23	8	A

Los Angeles Sparks

Date	Opponent	score	Result	line	Total	ATS Result	field goal percentage	free throw percentage	three pointers	Location
Aug 19, 2018	CON	86-89	L	5	161	W/O	39.47	86.36	7	A
Aug 17, 2018	WAS	67-69	L	4	158.5	W/U	37.31	100.00	6	A
Aug 14, 2018	NY	74-66	W	-13.5	154	L/U	36.71	85.71	4	H
Aug 12, 2018	PHO	78-86	L	-3	162	L/O	42.03	73.33	9	A
Aug 9, 2018	ATL	73-79	L	-1.5	155	L/U	42.03	64.29	6	A

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