Mercury Sparks picks and how to watch Wednesday's matinee
Mercury Sparks tip at 3 p.m. ET Wednesday as Phoenix visits Los Angeles in a rare weekday WNBA matinee at Crypto.com Arena. The Sparks are slight home favorites on the moneyline and lead the season series 2-0 before All-Star break. Catch the game on AZFamily and Spectrum SportsNet, or stream it on Fubo.
Key Takeaways
- Phoenix (9-18) visits Los Angeles (10-15) at 3 p.m. ET for a rare Wednesday matinee at Crypto.com Arena.
- The Sparks lead the season series 2-0 and are slight moneyline favorites at home.
- TV coverage is on AZFamily and Spectrum SportsNet; streaming is available via Fubo.
- Los Angeles is without leading scorer Kelsey Plum (lower leg); Cameron Brink recently returned from injury.
- Wednesday's six-game slate is the last action before WNBA All-Star Weekend.
Where can you watch the Mercury Sparks game today?
According to The Athletic, the Mercury Sparks tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Broadcast options are AZFamily and Spectrum SportsNet, with Fubo available for streaming.
For more game-day alerts and broadcast guides, browse our Streaming & TV Alerts hub on BlasterPost.
CBS Sports notes the league scheduled a couple of matinees on the final slate before All-Star break, calling a weekday afternoon tip a welcome surprise for fans.
What are the Mercury Sparks moneyline picks and odds?
Covers betting analyst Aisha Quiñones backs the Los Angeles Sparks at -113 on the moneyline, assigning a 53% win probability. She cites home-court advantage plus interior production from Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, while noting Phoenix's defensive inconsistency despite Kahleah Copper's perimeter scoring.
The Athletic lists Sparks -125 and Phoenix +105, with Los Angeles -2.5 (-105) on the spread and a game total of 177.5. CBS Sports says this is the only relatively evenly matched game on Wednesday's six-game card, since every other favorite is at least -5.5.
CBS Sports also flags a FanDuel single-game parlay of Los Angeles moneyline plus Ogwumike 15+ points at +124. Ogwumike enters with three straight double-doubles (19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in that span) and has scored at least 15 points in six consecutive games.
Why does this Mercury Sparks matinee matter before All-Star break?
Neither club would currently be a playoff team. Phoenix sits 13th at 9-18 after snapping a five-game skid with a 72-63 home win over Connecticut on Sunday. Los Angeles is 10th at 10-15, riding a season-high four-game losing streak—all on the road—but has won its past two home games and reached triple digits in both.
The Sparks are 2-0 against the Mercury this season, averaging 104.0 points in those meetings, with one going to overtime. Phoenix is 2-5 in its last seven road games, and CBS Sports notes a sellout Kids' Day crowd is expected in L.A.
Injury picture: Sparks leading scorer Kelsey Plum (23.9 PPG) remains out with a lower-leg injury, while Kiana Williams is day-to-day with a hand issue. Brink returned last week from a month-long absence. Mercury forward Natasha Mack returned Sunday on a minutes restriction; Sami Whitcomb is day-to-day (knee). DeWanna Bonner scored a season-high 21 points Sunday and became Phoenix's franchise all-time leading rebounder.