The WNBA playoffs begin on August 17 and now is the perfect time to make picks on the 2022 WNBA Champion. We’re breaking down the eight-team playoff field right here and offering our expert betting advice on who’ll take it all.
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s look at the team-by-team odds to win the WNBA title. Here’s how online oddsmakers are pegging each team's current WNBA betting odds:
| Team |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Aces | +150 | +150 |
| Chicago Sky | +225 | +225 |
| Connecticut Sun | +400 | +400 |
| Seattle Storm | +600 | +600 |
| Washington Mystics | +850 | +850 |
| Dallas Wings | +3300 | +3300 |
| New York Liberty | +4000 | +4000 |
| Phoenix Mercury | +6000 | +6000 |
2022 WNBA Playoffs Preview
First things first when previewing the 2022 WNBA playoffs, the format will be different this time around. For the previous six years, the league has done single-elimination format the first two rounds followed by a regular series in the WNBA Finals. That is no more. In 2022, the first round is best-of-three followed by best-of-five series the rest of the way.
Let’s talk about the teams left and their road to the WNBA title. The number-one overall seed is Las Vegas. First-year head coach Becky Hammon led the Aces to the league’s best record at 26-10. They’ll face an absolutely-depleted Phoenix team in round one. Mercury — a preseason favorite to contender for the title — have been without Brittney Griner all-year long. Now Tina Charles is gone due to personal issues and Diana Taurasi is injured. This should be a sweep for Las Vegas.
The defending champion Sky hold the league’s two seed. They’ll be matched with seventh-seeded Liberty in the opening round. One thing we must mention about the first-round format: the higher-seeded team hosts the first two games of the series. The lower seed only gets a crack at home IF they can force a Game 3. We mention that because Chicago owns a 14-4 mark at home this year — tops in the WNBA — and that should power them into round two.
Things start getting interesting with the three vs. six matchup, Connecticut and Dallas, respectively. The lower-seeded Wings actually won the season series with the Sun, 2-1. However, Dallas will not have the playing services of its number-one scorer Arike Ogunbowale. If not for that, the Wings might be upset-win material but now we’re less sure.
The last first-round meeting is between the fourth-seeded Storm and fifth-seeded Mystics. Two of league’s best players are on opposite ends here as Elena Delle Donne (Washington) and Brenna Stewart (Seattle) do battle. The Storm holding home-court might tilt this in their favor. Sue Bird is also retiring, which can only make those home crowds more advantageous.
Best Bets To Win 2022 WNBA Championship
We’re going to be upfront and say we’re making multiple bets on the 2022 WNBA Championship. Look, you could realistically argue five teams can “go all the way” and we’d be foolish to go all-in on just one. At the current betting odds, taking two different teams is a smart betting strategy. Here’s the two we’re taking:
Chicago Sky
If we could only bet on one team and one team only in this futures bet, then our money would go on Chicago. No WNBA franchise has gone back to back as champions in twenty years (the 2001-02 Sparks last did the feat), but the Sky are more than capable. Most of its championship roster remains in-tact and there’s an experience factor to them that most competitors lack.
Some bettors might be hung up on Chicago’s recent woes. After losing only four games in June and July, they dropped three this month (despite only playing half of it). We chalk it up as complacency more than anything else. With no margin for error the rest of the postseason, we expect the Sky to tighten up.
We also have to mention Candace Parker here — the leader of Chicago and a top-5 player league-wide. All signs point to Parker being in the final days of her WNBA career. We wouldn’t be surprised to find out she’s already told teammates she’s retiring at year’s end. If so, that’s one hell of a motivating factor to send her out on top. We’re betting that indeed happens so take the +225 line to the bank!
Seattle Storm
Seattle is our “sleeper” pick. We just love their +600 price right now. At that line, even a small bet their way can pay out big time, which makes them a tantalizing choice given their talents.
And yes, they possess championship-level talent. We’d argue they have three of the league’s top-15 players with the aforementioned Stewart, Bird, and Jewel Lloyd. The trio were the main pieces of the franchise’s 2018 and 2020 championship-winning seasons. A two-year gap separated those titles and that’s exactly where we find ourselves here again. Look closely into the Storm as a darkhorse bet here.
How To Bet On 2022 WNBA Playoffs?
The futures wager we covered above isn’t the only 2022 WNBA Playoffs bet available. Nope, there’s also series prices and individual bets (moneyline, spread, over/under). You can find all WNBA odds at one of the betting sites listed in the next table. We’ve also included up-to-date sportsbook reviews in the table so you can choose where to gamble wisely. Get on these betting opportunities now that the WNBA postseason is upon us!
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