(#635) Minnesota Lynx @ (#636) Las Vegas Aces | UNDER | . 

These are probably the two hottest teams in the WNBA right now. Although you might expect points galore in a matchup like this, I actually think that the defense will be huge in a game like this. Don't get me wrong, the Lynx have been scoring quite a ton so far this season. But, this is a game where they are going to have to work for their points against a very strong defensive team in LV. 

Like Minnesota, the Aces are one of three teams who are perfect in the Commissioner's Cup "tournament" so far. They are off consecutive very high scoring games against Seattle & Portland. But, those are two of the worst teams in the West this season. This line has gotten way too high 

Burns' Prediction: 85-78 Las Vegas.

(#613) Dallas Wings @ (#614) Minnesota Lynx | OVER | . 

Dallas has impressed me a ton with its offense so far this season. As a matter of fact, the Wings have scored 89.4 PPG so far this season through the opening 10 games (scored 104 against LA last time out as well.) Well who's the only team that's averaged more points so far? The Minnesota Lynx. Even without the Lynx' superstar NaPheesa Collier, they've been able to average 90.3 PPG so far this season, good for the highest mark in the entire WNBA. 

When these two teams played each other in May, they combined for 176 points. That included a very low scoring 38 point 4th quarter. This time, I'm expecting tons of points throughout the entirety of the contest. That should ultimately lead to this game flying "over" the number on Tuesday evening. 

Burns' Prediction: 92-88 Minnesota.

(#611) Phoenix Mercury @ (#612) Las Vegas Aces | OVER | . 

Even though I've been against the Mercury over the course of these playoffs and expecting them to come up short, I will give them respect as they've earned it. Yes, they've gotten some breaks here and there and that's obviously going to help a team like this that is not as experienced in the playoffs in recent years as some of the others. But, I'm not writing them off as their offense has been unbelievable in these playoffs when it comes to crunch time. 

Now, looking at the total in this game, Vegas is definitely the team that's going to feed it's star more often that not in A'ja Wilson. However, nobodies been able to slow her down all season and that shouldn't a problem. Both teams like to push the pace at times and are each coming off high scoring games when closing out their most recent opponent. With both sides averaging 82+ a game this year and in a new series on Friday evening, I'm expecting both teams to play free and loose basketball en route to an "over" here in Game 1. 

Burns' Prediction: 89-83 Vegas.

(#603) Indiana Fever @ (#604) Las Vegas Aces | OVER | . 

Even though win-or-go-home games are normally filled with great defense and tons pressure on the ball, I'm still expecting this game to finish above the o/u line on Tuesday without much trouble. Not only was Vegas dominant at home this season. But, the Aces absolutely love to score the ball, with their leader A'ja Wilson leading the way. 

The Fever, on the other hand, actually average more PPG and play at a faster pace than the Aces. Indiana's a lot worse without Clark. However, it's proven that it can still be competitive, especially in these playoffs so far. The last game saw 173 points which sent this series to a deciding Game 5. Expect more than 160 again on Tuesday in this one. 

Burns' Prediction: 89-80 Vegas.

(#613) Phoenix Mercury @ (#614) Minnesota Lynx | UNDER | . 

Game one had a bit of everything. I had the Minnesota Lynx and ended up winning with them. But, it wasn't easy. Phoenix led by seven at halftime and was in a great position to succeed. However, the Mercury were only able to muster 22 total points in the second half (3rd & 4th quarter combined) and that ultimately resulted in their defeat. 

I expect similar defense intensity levels as we saw in the second half of that game to appear in this pivotal Game 2. This game might be the bigger of the series considering it's only a five game series. We saw the Lynx have an o/u line set in the 140's in the opening round of these playoffs and although it didn't finish "under" respect must be given to this dominant defense that they play. 

The opening game of this series ended with 151 points. I'm sticking with the "under" in Game 2. This is my WNBA POSTSEASON TOTAL OF THE YEAR. 

Burns' Prediction: 79-66 Minnesota.

(#601) Connecticut Sun @ (#602) Atlanta Dream | UNDER | . 

Despite the recent "success" of the Connecticut Sun, they really aren't that big of a threat to many of the teams in the WNBA, especially top teams like Atlanta. The Sun come in having just beat Phoenix, somewhat surprisingly. However, in their most recent away game, I had the "under" and they were only able to put up 64 points against Chicago. 

Atlanta is one of the best defensive teams in the league. Playing a a fairly slow pace, the Dream must be great on defense to open up opportunities for wins late in games. They might not be the most flashy team out there. But, they will get the job done however it's needed. Don't expect many points in this one on Monday evening. 

Burns' Prediction: 81-72 Atlanta.

(#607) Connecticut Sun @ (#608) Chicago Sky | UNDER | . 

These two teams met up a couple of weeks ago and played in a very high scoring affair causing this line to go up considerably since that game. Before that game, they played in early August in an extremely low scoring contest (the line in that game was still lower than today's.) Today, I believe that we're going to see a much lower scoring game, more like the one on August 13th. Note that the game on June 15th also was quite low scoring. 

Out of the 13 teams in the WNBA, these are the two lowest scoring teams. Yes, even Dallas, who is below them in the standings, scores a lot more points than these two. While neither team has a chance at postseason basketball, I still believe that some of the season tendencies will still be there, ultimately leading to this game staying "under" on Wednesday. 

Burns' Prediction: 83-71 Chicago.

(#601) Washington Mystics @ (#602) New York Liberty | OVER | . 

Washington's in a bit of a rut right now, having lost four consecutive games coming into today. However, I believe that the Mystics aren't going to go down without a fight tonight. It's hard to imagine them winning, against a NYL team with Stewart back. But, the Mystics should be competitive enough to make the Liberty explode with points if they want to win as well. 

When these two teams played another earlier in the year, it was a scrappy game, with the Liberty winning the game 86-78. Both teams shot the ball at a very low rate and there were tons of free throws shot. If fouls are called at even close to the same rate as they were called in that game, I don't see why this game can't eclipse 170 total points. 

In the first game, a week before that, it was a much lower scoring game, again with fairly bad shooting across the board. I expect much better shooting from both teams in this matchup and considering that NY wants to play fast, this game should go "over" the total with ease on Thursday evening. 

Burns' Prediction: 95-77 Liberty.

(#607) Seattle Storm @ (#608) Los Angeles Sparks // OVER //. 

Coming off a game where it scored 86 points in a loss (vs. LV,) Seattle will definitely want to score a lot of points again here this evening. Payback is also on the minds of the Storm as when these two sides clashed a little over a week ago now, the final score was 108-106 for LA. Yes, it went to 2-OT. However, the game still had 172 points in regulation, which would've gone "over" in that game, and today. 

Yesterday, Los Angeles really struggled to get its offense going. This is a team that relies on the offensive success and playing at home this evening should help them in that way a whole lot more. The Sparks are one of the most "over" friendly teams in the league, having gone "over" in 20 out of their 30 games this season. Hammer the "over" on Sunday in this matchup. 

Burns' Prediction: 93-88 Sparks.

(#613) Atlanta Dream @ (#614) Chicago Sky // UNDER //. 

Even though Atlanta has been scoring with ease over the past few games, we've got to acknowledge the fact that the Dream don't even play that fast. According to stats.wnba.com, the Dream are the second slowest playing team in the WNBA. They rebound the ball very well, which has been something that they've been able to exploit against other teams. However, Chicago also rebounds at a very high rate as well. 

Looking at the Sky, they are not at the same level as Atlanta, that's for sure. I mean the last time these sides matched up was back in mid July when Chicago was only able to put up 49 points. I do believe that this one will be much closer. However, I still expect points to be hard to come by between two slower playing teams. Hammer the "under."

Burns' Prediction: 81-67 Dream.

(#627) Phoenix Mercury @ (#628) Chicago Sky // UNDER //. 

At times, Phoenix is quite the scoring team. It's averaging 83.4 PPG on the season, but has games where it scores a whole lot more than that. That being said, there's also games where the Mercury don't score very much at all, like the last game they played when they only put up 72 points against the Dream on the road. Away from home again, they could struggle again. 

Chicago is a team that simply doesn't score much at all. It's one of the worst teams in the WNBA and the scoring issues are a big part in why. Off seven consecutive losses, there's not too much confidence brewing in the Sky locker room. I see this one staying well below the number. 

Burns' Prediction: 83-74 Mercury.

(#619) Atlanta Dream @ (#620) Minnesota Lynx // OVER //.

Atlanta is going to need to be focussed for tonight's game. Even though this is a non-conference game, it should treat this game as a playoff game, considering how good the Lynx have been this year. The Dream are a solid them themselves, currently in 2nd in the Eastern Conference. However, it needs to keep winning to get the highest seed possible come the playoffs. 

While the Lynx don't necessarily play fast, they are probably the most consistent offensive team in the WNBA, average 46.1% from the field this year which is #1. Ball movement is key in this offense, leading the league in those as well. Minnesota is coming off a blowout with over Vegas where it put up 109 points. That's now four consecutive victories for the Lynx. 

Earlier this season, when these two sides matched up, they went to OT. Even without OT, it went "over" the number rather easily. The way Minnesota is scoring at the moment, I believe that this line is still way too low. Give me the "over" on Sunday evening as my #1 WNBA TOTAL OF THE YEAR. 

Burns' Prediction: 92-79 Minnesota.

(#607) Chicago Sky @ (#608) Connecticut Sun // UNDER //. 

The Chicago Sky have really disappointed this season with all the high confidence of Angel Reese prior to and during the season. I believe that this team is not very good at all and there's a reason to the horrible record right now. The offense is very bad even up against poor defenses. The Sky simply don't score enough points to win too many games. 

On the other hand, Connecticut is basically the exact same as the Sky. The Sun don't play well on defense. However, the offense is what's even worse. Neither team is averaging more than more than 76 PPG this season with the Sun only averaging 71.9 PPG. This total is low, but it's still too high for these two sides. 

Burns' Prediction: 77-70 Connecticut.