WNBA Best Bets for August 22: Weekend Preview and WNBA Champion Odds<\/p>\n
Meghan Townsley of DraftKings Network<\/p>\n
The 2025 WNBA regular season is entering its final stretch, with a weekend slate full of matchups that could reshape the playoff race. The Liberty and Dream clash Saturday in a pivotal fight for the potential No. 2 seed behind the already-clinched Lynx, while rookie Paige Bueckers just turned heads with a stunning 44-point outburst. With WNBA Finals odds shifting, this weekend offers not only high-stakes action on the court but also some of the best bets of the season for fans and bettors.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at the latest WNBA odds<\/a> for the WNBA Finals, give a weekend preview, and I\u2019ll share my best bets for Friday and Saturday\u2019s games on DraftKings Sportsbook You can also find more WNBA previews, picks, and daily content on DraftKings Network.<\/a><\/p>\n 2025 WNBA Finals Odds<\/a><\/p>\n The Favorite: MIN Lynx (+145)<\/p>\n For the first time in three weeks, the favorite to win the WNBA Finals remains on top, and it\u2019s Minnesota (+145) holding the crown. The Lynx have not only separated from the pack but dominated it, sitting first in the league at 26-7 and 5.5 games clear of their closest challenger, Atlanta. They\u2019ve beaten the defending champion New York Liberty three times this season, continue to own the best offense and defense in the league, and have done it all without MVP front-runner Napheesa Collier. WNBA Best Bets and Weekend Preview<\/p>\n Seattle Storm at Dallas Wings \u2014 Friday, August 22, 7:30 PM ET<\/p>\n Dallas knew what it was getting when it drafted Paige \u201cMs. Buckets\u201d Bueckers No. 1 overall, and she delivered in a big way with 44 points against the Sparks, tying Cynthia Cooper\u2019s 28-year-old rookie scoring record. Still, the 9-27 Wings couldn\u2019t close, losing 81-80 and have officially been bounced from playoff contention. PICK: Paige Bueckers Over 19.5 Points (+100)<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Minnesota Lynx at Indiana Fever \u2014 Friday, August 22, 7:30 PM ET<\/p>\n Even without MVP front-runner Napheesa Collier, the Lynx have looked like a well-oiled machine, leaning on their depth and a next-player-up mentality to go 4-2 in her absence. After being taken down Thursday by a surging Atlanta Dream, Minnesota now faces an Indiana Fever team that has been hit hard by injuries. Sophie Cunningham is out for the season with a torn MCL \u2014 the third Fever guard lost in just two weeks \u2014 while Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with a bone bruise suffered on August 7.<\/p>\n Still, the Fever have managed to win six of their last 10 and currently sit sixth in the league standings, with Golden State and Seattle close behind. The challenge Friday is steep: the Lynx remain the championship favorite, boasting both the league\u2019s best defense (96.7 rating) and best offense (109.7 rating) even without Collier on the floor. With their depth, consistency, and proven ability to handle adversity, Minnesota has the edge to overpower an injury-riddled Fever squad tonight.<\/p>\n PICK: MIN Lynx -6 (-110)<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n New York Liberty at Atlanta Dream \u2014 Saturday, August 23, 2:00 PM ET<\/p>\n Talk about a matchup. The Dream have surged into second place behind Minnesota, winning eight of their last 10 and edging out the Finals-favorite Lynx 75-73 on Thursday. The Liberty, meanwhile, continue to stumble without Breanna Stewart \u2014 just 5-5 over their last 10 \u2014 showing lapses in fundamentals. While they\u2019re only allowing 81.7 points per game, New York leads the league in opponent rebounds (36.4), saw their defensive rating balloon to 110.9 at a point in August, and remains plagued by turnovers. Lean: ATL ML<\/p>\n All season long, I\u2019ll be tracking the WNBA Odds<\/a> for MVP, Finals Winner and more right here!<\/p>\n All odds and lines provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change.<\/p>\n GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537<\/a>) (AZ\/CO\/DC\/IA\/IL\/IN\/KS\/KY\/LA\/MD\/ME\/MI\/NC\/NJ\/NH\/OH\/OR\/PA\/TN\/VA\/VT\/WV\/WY),\u00a0(800) 327-5050<\/a>\u00a0or visit\u00a0gamblinghelplinema.org<\/a>\u00a0(MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY \/ text HOPENY (467369) (NY).<\/p>\n Please Gamble Responsibly. Call\u00a01-888-789-7777<\/a>\u00a0\/ visit\u00a0ccpg.org<\/a>\u00a0(CT), or visit\u00a0www.1800gambler.net<\/a>\u00a0(WV). Void where prohibited.<\/p>\n 21+ (18+ DC\/KY\/NH\/WY). Physically present in AZ\/CO\/DC\/CT\/IL\/IN\/IA\/KS\/KY\/LA(select parishes)\/MA\/MD\/ME\/MI\/NC\/NH\/NJ\/NY\/OH\/OR\/PA\/TN\/VA\/VT\/WV\/WY only. Void in ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. See terms at\u00a0draftkings.com\/sportsbook<\/a>. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WNBA Best Bets for August 22: Weekend Preview and WNBA Champion Odds Meghan Townsley of DraftKings Network The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-102225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
With a playoff berth already secured, Minnesota continues to prove they\u2019re the most formidable opponent in the postseason. A balanced roster built on elite scoring, suffocating defense, and veteran leadership has carried them this far, and Collier\u2019s return will only make them more dangerous.<\/p>\n
They now face a Seattle team that\u2019s stumbled of late, dropping seven of its last ten to fall back to .500, though veterans Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike helped notch a crucial win over Chicago earlier this week. Offensively, both teams rank near the bottom (Dallas 9th, Seattle 8th in offensive rating), but the Storm hold the edge defensively. With Ezi Magbegor holding down the paint (2.1 BPG), Gabby Williams locking down the perimeter (2.4 SPG), and the team holding opponents to 80.1 points per game (5th), Seattle has the talent to rewrite the ship
With their playoff lives on the line, the Storm are the safer lean tonight. That said, Bueckers proving she\u2019s a bucket every night? I\u2019m backing that, too.
Lean: Storm ML<\/p>\n
Allisha Gray has been on fire, averaging 18 points per game over her last 10 and dropping 27 against the league\u2019s top defense in her last outing. With New York\u2019s defense slipping, Gray looks primed for another big performance. I\u2019m backing her to light it up again Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n