Wings vs. Valkyries WNBA playoffs prediction, picks: Expect a rock fight in Game 3

It all comes down to Friday night for the Wings and Valkyries.After an overtime classic in Game 2, the No.7 seed Wings pushed their first-round series against the No.

2 seed Valkyries to a final game at the Chase Center in San Francisco.Despite the nail-biter in Dallas, oddsmakers posted the biggest spread of the series for Game 3.The Valkyries are 8.5-point favorites, with the Over/Under listed at 158.5 points for the clincher.Arike Ogunbowale will be a clutch-time legend for the rest of her career after adding another indelible moment to her resume.Her game-tying 3-pointer at the end of the fourth quarter gave the Wings a lifeline and an opportunity to win the game in overtime and extend the series.Winning Game 3 will be a tall task for the Wings.They had two days off between the first two games, but there’s just one day off between Game 2 and Game 3.That quick turnaround after an emotional overtime game will impact both teams, but the Wings will feel it more as the road team.The Valkyries were the best home team in the WNBA over the regular season, and the Wings finished .500 on the road.There were also some notable outlier trends in Game 2.The Wings ranked 15th in Free Throw Rate during the season but took 37 free throws in Game 2, 14 more than the Valkyries, and Ogunbowale accounted for 18 of those attempts.They also benefited from her heat-check 3s and shot 52 percent from beyond the arc.I think this game will be more of a slog, which favors the Under.With just one day’s rest, the Under was 12-7 for Golden State and 13-8 for Dallas this season.

I’ll bet on Golden State’s league-leading defense to make this game a rock fight.The Play: Under 158.5 (-115, Caesars)Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017.He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports.

He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props....