WNBA Finals betting: How to bet Game 1, series champion and MVP

The WNBA Finals begin Thursday night on ESPN as the Minnesota Lynx play at the New York Libertyin Game 1 of the best-of-five series. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET.

This highly anticipated series will cap a big year of betting around the WNBA, as interest in the league has reached new heights in 2024.

Here are experts Andre Snellings, Eric Moody, Liz Loza, Jennifer LaCroix and Jim McCormick with their thoughts on how to bet the WNBA Finals.

What's your favorite bet for Game 1?

Sabrina Ionescu 30+ total points, rebounds and assists (+120): If the Liberty want to win this series, Ionescu has to play a key role. I'd argue her impact might even be more crucial than Breanna Stewart's. We got a glimpse of that in Game 4 against the Aces in the previous series. New York had her playing off the ball a bit more, and she was lethal. Ionescu has been phenomenal during the playoffs, averaging 20.7 PPG, 5.2 APG and 5.2 RPG while shooting 48.9% from the floor. The Liberty won't take the Lynx lightly, so expect Ionescu to get off to a fast start on Thursday night. -- Moody

Breanna Stewart points leader (+290): Stewart has mentioned before that she has a lot to make up for after playing poorly in last year's Finals. She averaged 16.3 PPG on 36% shooting from the field and 18% from 3-point range in the 2023 Finals. Not only is she looking for redemption, but she has played well against the Lynx this season, averaging 24.8 PPG, her most against any single opponent this season (includes Commissioner's Cup). Stewart is also no stranger to the Finals. This is the fourth Finals appearance of her career, and she averaged 22.7 PPG in her previous three. That is the second-most PPG in the Finals behind only Cynthia Cooper (23.8). -- LaCroix

Napheesa Collier total points, rebounds and assists UNDER 34.5 (-110): Collier has been on a historic postseason run, becoming the first player in Lynx history with 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive playoff outings. She is, undoubtedly, the heart of Minnesota's squad and the key to the Lynx pulling off an upset. While Collier cleared the above line in two of the team's four meetings with New York, she did so by the slimmest of margins. Coming off of a single day of rest and playing on the road, I think Collier comes just short of the 35 point total. -- Loza

Ionescu OVER 2.5 3-pointers made (-150): It could be worth paying up for this line given that she's exceeded this line in all but one playoff game this season. Volume and skill are on her side, as Ionescu's heliocentric playmaking and shooting roles often lead to rewarding shot-creation opportunities throughout the course of such a high-leverage game. Simply put, this is a very achievable number for one of the world's great shooters. -- McCormick

Ionescu UNDER 17.5 points (-110) or UNDER 2.5 3-pointers made (+105): While Ionescu has played extremely well in the playoffs, it is worth noting that the Lynx have had her number in every matchup this season. In those three games, Ionescu averaged only 14.3 PPG (her second-lowest split against any team) on 29.1 FG%. She has made only five of her 28 3-point attempts against the Lynx. She never scored over 17 points or made more than two 3-pointers in any game against the Lynx this season. -- Snellings

Which is the better bet to make on the championship winner, Liberty at -260 or Lynx at +210?

Lynx +210: The Liberty are huge favorites, and that makes sense because New York entered the 2024 season with high expectations and +245 odds to win the championship. Even though Minnesota are huge underdogs, there could be value in allocating a few units on them if they manage to pull off the upset. Let me explain how this might happen. The Lynx only have one true superstar in forward Napheesa Collier, but this team plays incredibly well together. Minnesota focuses on selfless, defense-first basketball. The Lynx also beat the Liberty in the Commissioner's Cup back in June and twice during the regular season. With coach Cheryl Reeve, who has led the Lynx to four previous titles, they have the experience to make this series competitive. Don't be surprised if it goes to five games. -- Moody

Lynx +210: The Lynx are the only team the Liberty have a losing record against in the regular season. The Lynx went 3-1 against New York in the regular season including the Commissioner's Cup Championship, and they went 2-1 in New York. Minnesota has the length to match up with New York's bigs better than any other team. They have MVP runner-up Collier, Alanna Smith, Myisha Hines-Allen and Dorka Juhasz, all of which can defend very well. In addition, Collier has proved she can score against the best defenses in the league. She already faced the two teams she had her two lowest scoring averages against (Connecticut and Phoenix). Now she faces New York who held her to her third-lowest scoring average. However, she proved in the first two rounds that the regular season doesn't matter, and she found a way to dominate those defenses -- 40.0 PPG against the Mercury and 22.0 PPG against the Sun. We can expect her to do the same against the Liberty. -- LaCroix

Lynx +210: As tempting as it is to ride the chalk favorite given New York's dominant regular season, there are matchups in this series that create intriguing challenges for the Liberty. Having a two-way force just entering her prime at the caliber of Collier changes the math in what otherwise appears to be a series that favors a Liberty team that sported one of the best offenses in league history. This series appears likely to go long given the concentration of star power on each roster, making such favorable returns on a Minnesota victory inviting. -- McCormick

Lynx +210: Make it a clean sweep. First of all, there's just no juice for the Liberty, so it's not worth the bet at -260 -- especially because the Lynx have a legitimate chance to win this series. The Liberty may have had the slightly better record than the second-seeded Lynx over the season, but the Lynx were the best team in the league down the stretch, winning 14 of their last 16 games (compared to the Liberty's four losses in their last 11). Plus, the Lynx didn't just win the season series vs. the Liberty 2-1 ... both wins were convincing. The two teams swapped nine-point wins at the Barclays Center, but the Lynx won the only matchup in Minnesota by 17 points. Collier is on a mission right now, and she has the game to meet Stewart at the top in an explosive confrontation. -- Snellings

What's another bet that caught your attention?

Lynx vs. Liberty: 5 total games (+160): The Commissioner's Cup and regular-season matchups between these two teams have shown that the Lynx can compete with the Liberty, especially since they hold the better head-to-head record. It's not surprising, given that both teams ranked in the top five for offensive rating and defensive rating. There's plenty of star power on the court, and both teams have experienced head coaches guiding them. Plus, the Liberty haven't lost consecutive games at any point this season. This all sets the stage for a highly competitive series that will come down to a decisive Game 5. -- Moody

Lynx vs. Liberty: 5 total games (+160): Riding with Eric on this endorsement, there are just so many paths for this series to go long. Each team claims multiple impact stars, which removes some of the risk of singular game plans to change the course of the series. Which is to say, as much as Collier, Stewart and Ionescu are true stars, there is enough diversity and depth of talent to expect close games ripe with clutch moments. This one just feels like a max series. -- McCormick

Stewart to record the most total rebounds in the series (+200): When I first considered this bet, I thought to lean Collier because Stewart and Jonquel Jones have to share the boards for the Liberty. But Stewart has just owned the glass in the three games these teams played against each other this season. While Collier grabbed double-digit boards in all three games and averaged 11.7 RPG for the season series and Jones averaged 7.7 RPG, Stewart averaged a whopping 15.3 RPG in the three matchups. Stewie grabbed 17 boards when they played in July, then followed that up with 18 when they played in September. I like her to continue the rebound trend in the Finals at 2-1 odds. -- Snellings

What is your favorite bet for Finals MVP at the current odds?

Breanna Stewart (+110): Stewart was my favorite bet for Finals MVP before the playoffs even started at +350, and she's still my favorite bet at these current odds. Last season's Finals loss has been a driving force for Stewart and the Liberty throughout the regular season and playoffs. In six postseason games, she's averaged 20.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.3 BPG and 1.0 SPG. Stewart is no stranger to this award either, having won it in 2018 and 2020 with the Seattle Storm. -- Moody

Napheesa Collier (+275): It's hard to imagine an outcome with the Lynx winning in which Collier isn't the primary driving force. The potential for her to impact New York's strong frontcourt defensively while also carrying a team-high usage rate for the Lynx suggests this is good value ahead of even selecting the Lynx to win the series. -- McCormick

Collier (+275): If the Liberty win, there are three front-line players who could legitimately be considered for FInals MVP in Stewart (+110), Ionescu (+200) and Jonquel Jones (+3000). With the way the playoffs have gone, Ionescu should maybe be even money with Stewart because I believe she'd have to play great for the Liberty to win. But if the Lynx win? The MVP almost has to be Collier. And, as detailed above, I think they have close to a 50-50 chance to win. So, all told, I think Collier has significantly more juice than Stewart or Ionescu with a larger chance to actually win the award than either of her two competitors. -- Snellings