Lynx vs Dream Predictions, Picks, and Odds

Despite only being a couple of games under .500, the Minnesota Lynx have had little to no success against the quality teams in the league. On the road against Atlanta, our WNBA betting picks expect Minny to once again fall short.

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Both the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream fell off a touch before the All-Star break, but one of those drop-offs was more reminiscent of their early-season struggles while the other was more likely a blip caused by vacation distractions.

Can the Lynx reverse course before they plummet back down the WNBA standings? Or are the Dream set to lose their six-game winning streak?

Here are our free WNBA picks and predictions for Lynx vs. Dream on July 18, with tip set for 7:00 p.m. ET.

Lynx vs Dream best odds

Lynx vs Dream picks and predictions

The Minnesota Lynx had folks buzzing they may have found a groove when they won five straight just before the All-Star break, but looking at those five games made it clear that it was all smoke.

Minnesota had beaten up on the three worst teams in the league. Beating the Storm twice, the Mercury twice, and the Fever once simply meant the Lynx were not likely to finish lower than No. 9 this season, not that they had figured out their future.

Those are two of the league’s three worst offenses — Indiana ranks No. 6 in points per 100 possessions — and three of the league’s four worst offenses, the fourth being Minnesota’s.

Know what happened when the Lynx followed those five wins by playing two competent teams? They lost by 24 points and then, this is not a typo, 40 points. Yes, both of those were losses against the spread, as well.

The Dream are a competent team. Maybe that is underselling it for the No. 5 team in the league, but let’s keep things tepid when discussing a young group that cannot be considered a title contender.

Regardless of those bigger-picture brakes, Atlanta has the No. 7 defense in the league (more than four points per 100 possessions better than Minnesota’s) and the No. 5 offense (more than three points).

The Dream are not the Fever, the Mercury, or the Storm. Add in the fourth-worst team in the league, the Los Angeles Sparks, and the Lynx have not held their own against anyone of worth since June 3. Sure, there were only four such moments in those six weeks, but going 0-4 ATS is worth noting, especially when those four ATS losses came by 20.25 points per game compared to bookmakers’ expectations.

Reread that. Minnesota has played only four competent opponents in the last six weeks, and it has lost those four spreads by more than 20 points per game.

Not much else needs to be said tonight. Atlanta is competent, and that is enough against the Lynx.

My best bet: Dream -5.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

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Lynx vs Dream spread and Over/Under analysis

This spread opened too small. Maybe the bookmakers were hungover from the All-Star Game in their hometown during the biggest lull in the sports calendar.

Atlanta opened as only a 3.5-point favorite on Monday evening, a number that climbed to -6 by midnight and -6.5 at some books.

The Dream had covered five straight games, all outright wins as well, before falling short of a 14.5-point spread in their favor on the eve of All-Star break. They still beat the Storm by 10 points, so the ATS loss very much felt like an attempt to catch flights for the beach. After all, Atlanta was leading by 19 points with four minutes to go.

Those wins included back-to-back road wins at Chicago and an upset of Washington, both teams better than any the Lynx have succeeded against in weeks.

The total opened at 171.5 and did not noticeably move Monday night. If granting that Atlanta should control this game, then there's reason to believe in the Over. The Dream have cleared the total in 12 of 19 games this season, including 10 of their last 15.

Remembering that Minnesota has the third-worst defense in the league, betting that Over carries even more logic.

Lynx vs Dream betting trend to know

The Over is 6-1 in Atlanta’s last seven home games. Find more WNBA betting trends for Lynx vs. Dream.

Lynx vs Dream game info

Lynx vs Dream key injuries

Lynx: Aerial Powers G (Out), Jessica Shepard F (Out), Rachel Banham G (Out).
Dream: Aari McDonald G (Out), Iliana Rupert C (Out).
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.