The Mercury will open up the 2023 regular season on the road against the Sparks tonight at Crypto.com Arena (11 p.m. ET, ESPN). It's a special season opener for the Mercury and the WNBA, as All-Star center Brittney Griner will be playing for the first time in almost two years.
Griner missed last season while detained in Russia for 10 months, but she was freed in a prisoner exchange in December 2023. Griner re-signed with the Mercury this offseason and played in the team's lone preseason game against the Sparks.
Tonight's game in Los Angeles will likely be emotional for Griner and fans alike, and from a basketball standpoint, it will be interesting to see how Griner acclimates to head coach Vanessa Nygaard's system. Fans can get in on the action, too, thanks to SuperDraft's two Griner-centric prop bets.
On SuperDraft, bettors can pick an over/under on two or more player props. If you hit both, you win up to 3X the amount wagered, and the return increases each time you add another prop. Think of it as a "Same Game Parlay." More legs equal more risk, but also a bigger potential payout. However, not all players have the same props, so keep that in mind as you pick your over/under plays and try to win some cash during tonight's game.
One thing to keep in mind is that you can't play more than one prop for a single player in a SuperDraft entry, which is why we specified which of Griner's two props we like better tonight.
Brittney Griner SuperDraft Player Prop Picks for Mercury-Sparks
Four-star play: OVER 15.5 points
We will take Griner OVER 15.5 points, which is the current special that SuperDraft is running for opening night. The seven-time All-Star center will be playing in her first WNBA since Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals after being detained in Russia for 10 months. Griner returned to the floor in the preseason against the Sparks, posting 10 points and three rebounds in 17 minutes.
With the regular season beginning tonight, we should see Griner play more, as the Mercury will lean on her and Diana Taurasi as the top two scoring options. The Sparks have a solid veteran frontcourt led by Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, but Griner should still get her points and easy baskets.
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Two-star play: UNDER 9 rebounds
Conventional wisdom would be to take the OVER on Griner's rebounds, especially since she averaged 9.5 rebounds per game in her last season in the WNBA. However, she won't be able to simply camp out inside the paint, as Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike, and Azura Stevens can shoot it well from the perimeter.
If the Sparks can pull Griner out to the perimeter, it could open up rebounding opportunities for the forwards and guards on both teams. When the Mercury played the Sparks in the preseason, Griner had just three rebounds in 17 minutes. She'll get more tonight, but we still like her to stay UNDER her number.