The first round of the WNBA playoffs just got underway, but we have our eye on the final game — and who wins it. That’s because there’s big money to be made predicting the WNBA champion. In this article, we’ll offer up our futures predictions that we believe will pay out!
- What: 2023 WNBA Playoffs
- When: Right now (WNBA Finals begins October 8)
2023 WNBA Playoffs Preview
It makes sense to begin our preview of the 2023 WNBA playoffs with a look at the current title betting odds. These are available at the best betting sites for basketball. They’ve pegged the following teams as the favorites to win the WNBA title:
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Aces | -145 | -145 | -145 |
| New York Liberty | +145 | +145 | +145 |
| Connecticut Sun | +1900 | +1900 | +1900 |
| Dallas Wings | +2300 | +2300 | +2300 |
| Washington Mystics | +4200 | +4200 | +4200 |
As you can see above, it’s practically a two-team race and that’s it. There’s a huge — and we mean huge — gap between two and three. Bookmakers are on the money too because the Aces and Liberty have proven to be a cut above the rest.
For Las Vegas, they led the WNBA with a sizzling 34-6 mark. Of course, they’re also the reigning champions. Though, it should be noted that the last team to go back-to-back was the LA Sparks about 20 years ago. The WNBA, unlike the NBA, hasn’t lent itself to repeat champions all that much.
Then there’s New York. Playing in the opposite conference, they blazed their way to a 32-8 record. But here’s why the Liberty can dethrone the Aces: they already have. The two teams met three times in the month of August and the Liberty won each time, including in the Commissioner’s Cup finale. The challengers very well might have the champion's number.
Outside of those two squads, things are grim. Only the Sun and Wings finished with a winning record at 27-13 and 22-18, respectively. Four teams made the playoffs with winning percentages below .500. The first round, which began Wednesday, is best-of-three. The two rounds after is best-of-five. The first-round matchups are as follows:
- Las Vegas vs. Chicago
- New York vs. Washington
- Connecticut vs. Minnesota
- Dallas vs. Atlanta
Best Bet To Win 2023 WNBA Championship
Let’s be as blunt as possible: you either bet Las Vegas or New York to win the 2023 WNBA championship. One or the other. No betting both ways because the betting odds really aren’t set up for that (not if you want to eat up your whole profit anyway). So which one is the better bet?
To us, the Liberty should be the priority bet. Honestly, we don’t know how they can’t after sweeping the regular-season series 3-0. Moreover, it’s not just that New York won each meeting, but it’s how they won. The Aces were largely uncompetitive each time out, losing by margins of 19, 13, and 9. Worse, two of those games took place on the Las Vegas’ home floor where they had been unbeaten before.
You have to hand it to Liberty coach Sandy Brondello for her game plan. You see, Las Vegas is “top heavy.” Its four best players — Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young — are better than anyone else’s best four, plain and simple. However, Las Vegas has a steep fall-off in talent after that “core four” as they’re called.
What Brondello did in these three wins, is she dared the rest of the Aces team to beat them. All four star players were swarmed on defense, while others were left open. And as the scores indicate, those other Vegas players failed to step up when needed. Why would that change in the WNBA Finals a few weeks down the road?
Not only that, but the star players themselves were shut down. Take Wilson, the reigning MVP of the league and preemptive top women’s player in the world. She was held to 9 points in each of the first two games, then 21 in the third meeting. Her season average is about 23 a game so you can see the clear-cut struggles.
New York deserves your money over Las Vegas. They’re the deeper and more confident team in a rematch. Adding Breanna Stewart in the offseason changed the complexion of this franchise, which is starved for their first WNBA title. That drought ends this year, and you can bank on that!
How To Bet On 2023 WNBA Playoffs?
Betting on the WNBA playoffs isn’t just about picking the winner at the end — although that’s a great gamble, especially if you take out advice. There are more bets on specific series winners and individual games, of course. For a complete list of playoff bets the rest of the way, visit one of the bookmakers below.
All five sites you see listed in the table are there for a reason: cause they’re top-notch. In our sportsbook review section, these sites earned as high marks as any other platform. These same sites are even offering big-money sign-up bonuses to new players worth hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play. So if there’s ever a time to join a site and bet on the WNBA, it would be now!
