Published May 20, 9:41pm ET by
Keith McCarthy - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 20, 9:41pm ET
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Updated May 20, 9:41pm ET
The Sparks and Mercury meet on Thursday in a West Coast battle. Both teams are under .500 at the moment, despite having playoff aspirations. They'll each seek to bounce back from losses to Toronto.
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| Phoenix Mercury | -125 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | +105 |
The Sparks dropped to 1-3 after allowing the expansion Tempo to score 106 points on their own home court. It's been a rough start to the season for a Los Angeles team that has more than enough talent but continues to struggle with execution. Lynne Roberts may feel her seat start to heat up if Los Angeles isn't able to turn things around soon. They will be relying on veterans Kelsey Plum and Nneka Ogwumike to lead the way here.
Phoenix also took a home loss to Toronto most recently, becoming the second team to fall victim to the Brittney Sykes show. The Mercury have now lost three of their last four games after their impressive blowout win against the Aces in the opener. They conclude a 4-game home stand against LA, needing a win to prove the opener wasn't a fluke. Up next is a brutal road trip that holds a trip to Atlanta and two games in New York.
Los Angeles and Phoenix are both in a form of early-season desperation mode. Major offseason changes took away some of the certainty they had in the offseason, and the early goings of the regular season have not been kind to them. When compared side to side, the Mercury have been a step up from the Sparks. They'll hold a considerable advantage in this game on their home court as the Sparks most likely slide to 1-4 overall.
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Pick
Phoenix Mercury (-125)
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