The Minnesota Lynx have turned the second half of the WNBA season into a runaway, and they welcome the Los Angeles Sparks to Target Center on Thursday night as heavy favorites. Minnesota owns the league’s best record and rides a double-digit winning streak, while Los Angeles arrives shorthanded and inconsistent. The number on the board is enormous for a WNBA game, which makes this matchup more about the margin than the winner. Our best bet leans on a specific read of that spread.
Last Updated: Thursday, August 6, 2026
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Target Center, Minneapolis, MN |
| When | Thursday, August 6 – 9:00 PM ET |
| TV | Prime Video |
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx Betting Preview
Minnesota sits at 25-6 and holds the top spot in the standings. The Lynx have won ten straight, their longest streak in a decade. The defense anchors everything. Minnesota allows just 83.4 points per game, one of the stingiest marks in the WNBA, and the offense has kept pace during the streak. Napheesa Collier has slotted right back in since returning from an ankle procedure, averaging 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists across her first four games back while playing a managed 25 minutes a night.
Los Angeles enters at 11-18 and near the bottom of the standings. The Sparks have gone just 3-7 over their last ten and dropped their most recent game to Chicago. Their bigger problem is roster upheaval. Los Angeles dealt leading scorer Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury before the trade deadline and has been noticeably worse without her. Dearica Hamby and Nneka Ogwumike now carry the scoring load. The offense still moves, though. Los Angeles averages 89.6 points per game, fifth in the league, so points are not the issue for the Sparks. Stops are.
The season series has gone Minnesota’s way. The Lynx handled the Sparks 96-87 on July 15 and rolled 99-83 back on June 17. Los Angeles can hang around for a while, but Minnesota’s defense tightens the screws over 40 minutes and the talent gap shows late. For more on how Los Angeles has been trending, see our Sparks preview from Wednesday.
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks | +15.5 (-110) | +750 | U 189 (-110) |
| Lynx | -15.5 (-110) | -1400 | O 189 (-110) |
Odds accurate as of Thursday, August 6, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest WNBA Odds – Futures – Props
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Sparks | 47% | 53% | Lynx |
See the latest WNBA Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Sparks vs. Lynx Prediction — Can a Reeling LA Team Hang With the Number?
Laying a number this large demands a hard look at how the favorite has actually covered. Minnesota is dominant straight up, but the spread math is a different conversation. The Lynx sit right around .500 against the spread, which is what tends to happen when a team is priced steeply every night. Several recent wins landed inside single digits, including a 104-100 edge over Phoenix and an 86-80 win at Connecticut. Blowouts happen, but they are not the rule.
Collier’s minutes cap matters here too. When a team eases its best player back in around 25 minutes, the starters often sit early in a decided game. That is the script that keeps a backdoor cover alive. Los Angeles still has scorers in Hamby and Ogwumike, and a team that puts up 89.6 points per game can chip a 20-point deficit down to 12 in a hurry against reserves.
The case for Minnesota is real. The Lynx are better at every position and beat this same Sparks group by 16 earlier in the summer. If they bury a depleted opponent early, 15.5 can disappear by halftime. The public is split almost evenly on the spread, which signals a number the market respects. Still, the value sits with the points, and a capable scoring team getting more than two possessions is the side we want.
The Pick: Sparks +15.5 (-110)
Sparks vs. Lynx Prediction — Will Minnesota’s Defense Slow the Track Meet?
The total opened at 188.5 and ticked up to 189, so the market expects points. There is a real case for the over. Los Angeles leans over often, and Minnesota has played in several high-scoring games during the streak, including a 108-100 win over Indiana. When both teams run, 189 is reachable.
The counter is the matchup itself. Minnesota’s defense is the second-stingiest in the league, and the Sparks lost their most efficient shot creator in Plum. The two head-to-head meetings this season landed at 183 and 182 combined points, both under a similar number, because the Lynx dictated tempo and made Los Angeles grind. Give the edge to the defense and the recent pattern between these two teams.
The Pick: Under 189 (-110)
Final Thoughts and Bonus Angle
This is a talent mismatch dressed up in a very large number. Minnesota should win comfortably, but both angles here bet against the extremes. The spread play trusts that 15.5 is more than the Lynx reliably cover, with Collier on a minutes plan and a Sparks roster that still scores. The total play trusts Minnesota’s defense and the pattern the last two meetings produced.
The moneyline offers nothing worth chasing. Minnesota at -1400 ties up heavy money for a small return, and the Sparks at +750 are a longshot dart. For more from Thursday’s slate, our Aces vs. Fever prediction breaks down the other marquee game on the board. For this one, the two positions to consider: Sparks +15.5 (-110) on the spread and Under 189 (-110) on the total.
WNBA Sparks vs. Lynx FAQ: Thursday August 6, 2026
What time does the Sparks vs. Lynx game start?
The Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx tip off at 9:00 PM ET on Thursday, August 6, 2026. The game is played in Minneapolis, so that time is 8:00 PM local. It is the back half of the night’s WNBA schedule.
What channel is the Sparks vs. Lynx game on?
This game streams on Prime Video. There is no traditional national television broadcast for the matchup, so viewers will need an Amazon Prime Video subscription to watch the Sparks and Lynx live on Thursday night from Target Center in Minneapolis.
Where are the Sparks and Lynx playing today?
The game is at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Lynx’s home arena. Minnesota hosts as the home team on Thursday, and the Lynx are wearing their Heroine Edition jerseys for this matchup against the visiting Los Angeles Sparks.
What is Minnesota’s record this season?
The Minnesota Lynx are 25-6 and hold the best record in the WNBA. They enter Thursday on a ten-game winning streak, their longest in a decade, and lead their tier in the standings by a wide margin.
Who won the last meeting between the Sparks and Lynx?
Minnesota won the most recent meeting 96-87 on July 15, 2026, at Target Center. The Lynx also beat the Sparks 99-83 on June 17, giving Minnesota the clear edge in the season series between these two teams so far.