We’re roughly two months into the 2016 WNBA season and the offshore bookmaker odds favorites the Los Angeles Sparks have hit the ground running. The team led by head coach Brian Agler tied the 1998 Houston Comets for the best start in WNBA history before dropping a game to the Atlanta Dream. The Sparks currently stand at 20-2 (0.909%) and have thus already improved on last season’s 14-20 record. Defending champions the Minnesota Lynx are second in the Western Conference with a 19-4 record (0.826%), 1½ games behind the Sparks.
Odds to win the 2016 WNBA championship:
Atlanta Dream +2050
Chicago Sky +705
Connecticut Sun +50000
Dallas Wings +2525
Indiana Fever +2225
Los Angeles Sparks +190
Minnesota Lynx +195
New York Liberty +605
Phoenix Mercury +705
San Antonio Stars +50000
Seattle Storm +6650
Washington Mystics +2250
Back in ’98, the Comets rode their wave of momentum to a second of four consecutive WNBA championships. That team finished with a 27-3 record and a historic .900 percentage. The Sparks could be on their way to a third title – the last of which came in 2002. The last time they made the Finals was in 2003 – they lost to the defunct Detroit Shock on that occasion. But back to the present day, people who bet on WNBA can rest assured that, with their scoring prowess, the Sparks have no trouble covering the spread.
The Sparks lead the league in points per 100 possessions (109.5). In addition to that, Los Angeles has two of the top 10 scorers in the WNBA on their roster. Nneka Ogwumike ranks 6th with 19.1 points per game, while Candance Parker ranks 9th with 16.7 points per game. This duo are responsible for almost half of their team’s points. The rest comes from the likes of Kristi Toliver (14.6 ppg), Essence Carson (8.9 ppg), Alana Beard (7.9 ppg), and Jantel Lavender (9.3 ppg).
Remember that Full House episode where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar taught Uncle Jesse to find his sweet spot? Well, the Sparks have sweet spots all over the court. Ogwumike can score from down low, Toliver and Carson from the perimeter, Lavender and Beard in mid-range and the paint, and Parker from pretty much everywhere. And they’re not selfish, either; as a matter of fact, the Sparks lead the league in assists (21.6) as well as in field goal and three-point percentage – 50% and 39.2% respectively. Ogwumike shoots 71.2% from the field, and Parker is the only player in the WNBA to rank in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and assists. This team is a veritable dream come true for people who enjoy offshore bookmaker odds.
And what about defense? The Sparks allow the least points per game (73.5) and the least points per 100 possessions (93.7). Furthermore, the Sparks’ opponents score fewer three-point shots and fewer free-throws than against any other team in the league. All things considered, the Los Angeles sparks are having and equivalent season to the NBA’s Golden State Warrior. Here’s hoping that they don’t blow it like the Warriors did and live up to expectations as basketball betting favorites.