Photo by Joshua Huston/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury upset the defending WNBA champions Seattle Storm in the second round of the playoffs, setting them up as the biggest title liability entering the semifinals.
Diana Taurasi, Britney Griner and Co. topped Seattle in overtime, 85-80, to advance to a semifinal meeting with the Las Vegas Aces. It will be a best-of-five series with the winner advancing to the finals.
With the more bets taken than any other team remaining and the third-highest handle, the Mercury are the largest remaining liability for BetMGM according to data released on Tuesday.
Phoenix is +400 to win it all, down from its opening number entering the playoffs of +800. Over 19% of all bets and 16.8% of dollars are on the Mercury.
The highest handle belongs to the Connecticut Sun. The No. 1 overall seed is also the betting favorite with a current price of +135. The Sun entered the postseason as the betting favorite after opening +1500 to start the year.
Standing in Phoenix’s way of the final series are the Las Vegas Aces, last season’s runner up. Las Vegas is +175 to win the title, second to only Connecticut.
Connecticut, led by league MVP Jonquel Jones, meets the current +850 longshot Chicago Sky in the semifinals. The Sky upset No. 3 Minnesota Lynx in the second round.
The semifinals begin on Thursday starting with the Sky and Sun at 8 p.m. EST. Phoenix and Las Vegas follow at 10 p.m. EST. Game 2 of both series will take place on Thursday. The Game 3 doubleheader is on Sunday afternoon.
