The defending champion Chicago Sky (17-6) aim for their eighth victory in nine games when they visit the Los Angeles Sparks (10-13) in a WNBA matchup at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. Chicago, which owns a two-game lead over second-place Connecticut in the Eastern Conference, split its two previous meetings with the Sparks this season as it opened 2022 with an overtime loss at home before posting a 23-point victory at Los Angeles on June 23. Three other contests are on Thursday's WNBA schedule, including a matchup between the Western Conference-leading Las Vegas Aces (16-7) and host New York Liberty (9-14) at 11 a.m. ET.
Chicago is listed as a five-point favorite in the latest WNBA odds at Caesars Sportsbook, with the over-under for total points scored set at 164.5. Las Vegas is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Aces vs. Liberty odds, according to Caesars. There are opportunities to cash in on Thursday's WNBA schedule, with the payoff even bigger if you combine your top picks into a WNBA parlay. Before you make any WNBA picks or parlays for Thursday, you need to see what women's basketball experts Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai have to say.
Barzilai is a Ph.D. from Stanford who served as Director of Basketball Analytics for the Philadelphia 76ers. Five years ago, he founded HerHoop-Stats.com - a groundbreaking website that unlocks insights about the women's game. Wetzel, the site's lead betting writer, incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women's hoops to turn the site's prediction model into picks.
Now, Barzilai and Wetzel have turned their attention to the WNBA after going 590-430 overall (+127.40 units, +13.6 percent) during the 2021-22 women's college basketball season. Anyone who has followed their women's basketball picks has seen huge returns.
The experts have scoured Thursday's schedule and broken down the matchups to find the best value for bettors. They have revealed a three-leg parlay that could lead to a payout of almost 6-1. You can only see the experts' WNBA picks for Thursday at SportsLine.
Top WNBA picks today
One play that the experts love is the Sky (-5) covering the spread against the Sparks. Chicago has won seven of its last eight contests, with six of the victories being by at least eight points. The Sky are coming off a 15-point triumph over Atlanta on Tuesday in which two-time league MVP Candace Parker scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season.
Chicago dominated last month's meeting in Los Angeles as it outscored the Sparks 27-12 in the opening quarter and owned a 54-25 lead at intermission before cruising in the second half. Five players scored in double digits, with Courtney Vandersloot and Azura Stevens leading the way with 15 points apiece.
Parker, who spent her first 13 WNBA seasons with Los Angeles, also came up with a huge performance as she posted her league-record third career triple-double with 10 points, 14 boards and 10 assists.
How to make WNBA picks and parlays for Thursday
Barzilai and Wetzel locked in two other best bets for their Thursday parlay that would pay nearly 6-1. You can only see their parlay picks and WNBA best bets at SportsLine.
What WNBA picks should you target on Thursday for a parlay offering a payout of nearly 6-1? And which underdog is a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which WNBA picks you should be all over on Thursday, all from the experts who know the women's game inside and out, and find out.