WNBA Thursday: A cranky O'Sullivan picks Lynx at Sun, Mystics at Mercury, Dream at Sparks

Once this WNBA season is over, I’m going to task the BettorsInsider.com IT Team with running a diagnostic to determine just how many of my betting losses have come after the team I picked blew a double-digit lead in the second half. It’s really just busywork, though - cause it’s pretty much all of them. Gah!

Seattle O’Sullivan so far: 80-66-1

Minnesota Lynx at Connecticut Sun, 7 pm Eastern

The Pick: Minnesota +5.5 (-110)

Minnesota lost to Connecticut by 12 just two days ago. The Sun are now 9-1 home, but the Lynx are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight, including 4-1 ATS on the road, with that one being Tuesday’s loss. The Sun held the Lynx to 60 points in that game, way under their typical 82.4 points per game. I think Minnesota comes back hard tonight and covers the spread.

Washington Mystics at Phoenix Mercury, 10 pm Eastern

The Pick: Washington +3.5 (-110)

Washington is coming off two tough losses to perhaps the best team in the WNBA, the Las Vegas Aces. Tina Charles is ripping up the league, scoring 26.2 points per game. The Mystics have a decided edge in three-pointers, hitting 9.5 per game against the Mercury’s 6.81. I continue to think Phoenix thinks it’s better than they truly are, especially at home (where they’re under .500).

Atlanta Dream at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:30 pm Eastern

The Pick: Atlanta +4.5 (-110)

The Dream ended badly for me on Tuesday night, and I woke up Wednesday morning irritable and wondering what an overtime collapse meant. What was my psyche trying to tell me? But like all dreams, by the time I was washing my hair in the shower, I had already forgotten. And so I will with Tuesday night. Atlanta really should have won the game, and that was with guard Courtney Williams not making a shot for the first 39 minutes. She won’t shoot 2-13 tonight. The Dream overall shot 38.6%, below their 41.9 % average. I’ll make it three underdog picks for the night.