Minnesota Lynx: WNBA Title Favorites, But with Dangerous Rivals
The Minnesota Lynx are shaping up as the favorites to win the WNBA championship in the playoffs, but they will have to watch out for their closest competitors, the current champions. According to bookmakers, Minnesota is the main candidate to obtain its first title since 2017, with odds of +110 on ESPN BET. The Las Vegas Aces, in a moment of great performance, present odds of +260, while the current champions, the New York Liberty, have +350. The distance is considerable to the third-placed team, the Atlanta Dream, with +1000. This is the first time the Lynx have entered the postseason as favorites since they won their last title in the Maya Moore era in 2017. The last time they were favorites during the regular season was in 2018, the last year of the Hall of Famer Moore’s career. Meanwhile, the Aces experienced a remarkable rise in the betting odds thanks to their 16-game winning streak at the end of the regular season. On ESPN BET, Becky Hammon’s team started the season with odds of +400 to win the title, but they fell to +3000 in mid-August due to a slow start. However, the Aces’ strong finish propelled them above the Liberty after the last day of the regular season. Las Vegas’s outstanding performance also increased A’ja Wilson’s chances of winning the MVP award over Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier. On August 3, Collier was the heavy favorite at -1100, while Wilson was at 100-1, but at the close of the market, Wilson was the heavy favorite at -700 and Collier was at +500. In general, the bookmakers were aware of Las Vegas’s potential, which allowed them to properly manage the bets for themselves and the other two main contenders.“I think the winner will come from those three teams,” said Johnny Avello, director of DraftKings Sportsbook. “When you look at these playoff games, these teams will be big favorites. So, personally, we are in good shape in the future with those three teams. Good job by the betting team monitoring the futures during the year.”
Johnny Avello, director of DraftKings Sportsbook
Bookmakers also increased their responsibility in the championship due to the great interest of the public in Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, who now face odds of 100-1 to win the title after Clark was ruled out for the rest of the year due to a groin injury. Indiana will also suffer the losses of Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald, among others, for the playoffs.
Despite this, ESPN BET reports that 27.1% of their tickets and 31.2% of their handle in the championship market back the Fever. The only responsibility that the betting houses have is with the Golden State Valkyries, who made history by reaching the playoffs in their first season as an expansion team. They face a difficult path to the top with odds of 100-1 and a first-round matchup against Minnesota, but bettors clearly adore the underdog story.Overall, 2025 represented another successful season for WNBA betting as the league continues to grow, a clear indicator of the Clark effect, whether she can compete for the title this season or not.“Outside of the top three, the Valkyries sparked interest in their debut season, as they far exceeded expectations,” said Adrian Horton, senior director of sports operations for North America at ESPN BET, via email. “While only 2% of the handle is on Golden State, they are one of our biggest liabilities given their longer odds in the futures market.”
Adrian Horton, senior director of sports operations for North America at ESPN BET
“Unfortunately, Caitlin Clark missed most of the regular season due to an injury. That didn’t stop bettors from betting on the WNBA,” said Christian Cipollini, senior manager of operations at BetMGM, in a statement. “We saw more action in the league this season than before Clark joined the league. With significant action on the Fever, the sportsbook feels comfortable with the Lynx, Aces, or Liberty winning the WNBA Championship.”
Christian Cipollini, senior manager of operations at BetMGM
