WNBA Friday picks, odds, best bets

Paige Bueckers has officially arrived.

The No. 1 draft pick was already named an All-Star this season, and she just tied the WNBA’s rookie record with 44 points in Wednesday’s buzzer-beating loss in Los Angeles.

Her polished game is a joy to watch, and she is gradually breaking unselfish habits by looking for her own shot, which is what the Wings need. However, she has a poor supporting cast depleted by injuries and that is why 9-27 Dallas has already been eliminated from the playoffs.

Dallas hosts the Seattle Storm on Friday as a 7-point underdog with a total of 169 points.

Seattle has been struggling lately, having lost seven of nine games. The Storm are clinging to the final playoff spot with eight games remaining.

This tailspin has overlapped with the midseason trade for Brittney Sykes, an All-Star who was supposed to provide needed backcourt scoring and shooting. However, sometimes adding a ball-handling weapon takes time.

I believe this specific situation is favorable for Seattle. It just defeated the Chicago Sky after leading by nearly 20 points. The difference between Chicago and Dallas is depth and resilience.

Dallas needed an amazing performance by Bueckers, who shot 17 of 21 from the field against an awful Sparks defense, to hang in the game. The Storm play much stronger defense and have the capabilities to limit Bueckers and force her far less talented teammates to execute.

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I have a 61-50-1 ATS record in this Post sports section and will back Seattle -7 (-110, FanDuel) as my next play.

The Storm are desperate for wins as they pursue the playoffs and cannot overlook a weak opponent. Plus, this is a good time to fade a bad Wings squad off a rare strong performance.

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.