Los Angeles Sparks vs. New York Liberty Prediction: Liberty Double-Digit Point Spread Trend Will Continue

The Los Angeles Sparks have been fighting an uphill battle all season, and it will only get more challenging going forward after losing star rookie Cameron Brink to a torn ACL.  It certainly will not get any easier against a tough New York Liberty team coming off its third loss of the season.

New York would have been a heavy favorite even if Brinks was healthy, but covering a 14-point spread is no joke, regardless of how lopsided a game may appear. Teams have been known to rally after losing a key player to an injury. It could happen tonight…

Here are the betting odds for the game, along with our preview and pick.

Sparks vs. Liberty Betting Odds for Thursday, June 20

When a team is a double-digit underdog or favorite, the spread sends a message to fans and bettors. The gap between the two teams is significant, and as long as the favorite doesn’t lose anyone crucial to an injury, they should win the game outright.

The question then becomes: by how much? It’s one thing to be a heavy favorite and to win, but can such a team dominate the other as expected? Or will the underdog surprise the world and pull off an upset (or keep it close)?

New York has been a double-digit favorite eight times this season. They’ve gone 7-1 outright in those games, but 1-7 against the spread. As for Los Angeles, the Sparks have been double-digit dogs five times this year. They lost all five outright and went 1-4 ATS.

Here is the betting line for the game with odds from BetMGM where you can get up to $1,500 in bonus bets* with our code WSNMGM.

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Sparks vs. Liberty Prediction

Los Angeles Sparks Preview

An already challenging road trip got a lot tougher for the Sparks Tuesday night when star rookie Cameron Brink went down early with an injury. Her team would go on to put up a heck of a fight only to drop their fourth of a seven-game road trip.

As if playing the Liberty in New York twice wasn’t tough enough, Brink is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Of course, when a player goes down, an opportunity opens for someone else to step up. The obvious candidate to help pick up the slack will be the team’s other first-round draft pick., Rickea Jackson.

Jackson has been averaging 24 minutes per game; it would not be shocking to see her start averaging 30+. Her defense may not be as good as Brink’s, but she will be much more of a scoring threat.  Stephanie Talbot will likely see an increase in minutes as well (averaging 10.9 per game).

Bet on Los Angeles Sparks at BetMGM

New York Liberty Preview

Until their loss to the Mercury on Tuesday, the Liberty had been riding an eight-game winning streak and were looking to make it nine. Despite all five starters scoring in double digits, led by Breanna Stewart with 28, New York fell to Phoenix, 99-93.

From a statistical perspective, their defense has been one of the better ones in the league this year (No. 3 in scoring with 77.9 points per game allowed). With one of the top offenses as well (No. 2 in scoring, 86.6 points per game), this is a dangerous team.

That combination helped the Liberty get off to a 12-3 start, but it hasn’t necessarily been smooth sailing. They’ve been cutting it close the last few weeks. After getting out to an early lead against the Sun, they needed a fourth-quarter comeback to seal the win.

They should have been able to put Washington away early. But instead, the game remained relatively close until the end, a five-point win for New York. They didn’t start to pull away from the struggling Aces until the last few minutes of the third quarter.

And they lost to the Mercury after a massive defensive letdown in the fourth quarter.

Bet on New York Liberty at BetMGM

Sparks vs. Liberty - My Pick

All signs point to an easy win for the Liberty. But can New York take down the Sparks by more than 14.5 points? Both teams have solid offenses, but it’s the defenses that should concern bettors. Statistically speaking, the Liberty has one of the best, while the Sparks have a lackluster defense.

With Brink gone, the LA defense should take a step back, making it easier to cover the spread, right?

Not so fast.

Assuming her role increases, Jackson will bring an offensive element to the lineup that Brink did not. Since the New York defense has slacked off lately, it is unreasonable to think Los Angeles could score some points in this one.

Enough to win? No. Enough to keep it interesting? Possibly.

• My Pick: Take the Sparks and the points (+14.5) at BetMGM

The Liberty have struggled to cover double-digit spreads this season. While the Brink injury is reason for concern, Jackson will add an offensive element to the game that will keep the Sparks from getting blown out.

How to Watch Sparks vs. Liberty

• Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

• Game Time & Date: 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 20

• Coverage: Amazon Prime Video