Editor's note: until the Uristocrat Watch picks model ships, only the marquee game carries a Vegas line. The rest of the slate is a straight preview. Full schedule and live tiles are at watch.uristocrat.com.
The board is thin on Monday. MLB is dark for the All-Star break, with the Home Run Derby the only thing on in the sport, and the World Cup takes a breath before its semifinals on Tuesday and Wednesday. That leaves the WNBA to carry the night, and it hands us a two-game slate topped by the team with the best record in the league.
Marquee: Phoenix Mercury at Minnesota Lynx (9:00 PM ET, Peacock/NBCSN)
The Lynx (17-6) own the best record in the WNBA, and they have done it while Napheesa Collier works her way back from the ankle surgeries that cost her the start of the season. The reason the floor never dropped out is Olivia Miles. The No. 2 pick is averaging 18.5 points and 5.7 assists, started the All-Star Game as a rookie, and is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year. Phoenix comes in at 8-16 and going the wrong direction, which is a rough draw against a Minnesota team playing at home in front of a national audience. There is a revenge wrinkle too: the Mercury are the team Collier was hurt against in last year's playoffs.
Vegas line: Minnesota -12.5, total 169.5, moneyline Lynx -800 / Mercury +550 (ESPN, via DraftKings).
Also tonight
- Los Angeles Sparks at Atlanta Dream (7:00 PM ET, USA Network). The Dream (13-10) are the steadier team and get this one at home. The Sparks (10-11) are hovering around .500 and need road wins like this to stay in the playoff picture. It is the early window before the Lynx tip off, so it sets the table for the night.
That is the whole card. Two WNBA games, a Home Run Derby, and a soccer world holding its breath for Spain vs France on Tuesday. Quiet nights are when a rookie like Miles gets the stage to herself, so the Lynx are worth the watch. Every game above links to its live tile on watch.uristocrat.com.
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