Minnesota Lynx vs Los Angeles Sparks Preview, Prediction, Injuries, Lineups, Odds & Where to Watch- WNBA 2025 Regular Season (May 18)

The Los Angeles Sparks will be facing the Minnesota Lynx in a regular season matchup on May 18. This is the first matchup between the two teams this seasons, promising us some exciting action to look forward to from the showdown. Lynx will be holding on to the hopes of title contention once again after a heartbreaking loss in the NBA Finals last season.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Sparks may look to contend for the playoffs this season, after a devastating run last year. This season, the Sparks are expected to make a comeback, an effort that begins from the first few regular season matchups itself. Let's get ahead to this article where we have a compiled preview for the upcoming Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx matchup.

Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx Preview

The Los Angeles Sparks had a really abysmal last season, winning just 8 games out of 40. In fact, they had one of the worst records in the league, posting 32 losses with a 20% winning percentage, thus making them lose out on playoff contention.

Dearica Hamby was the only star performer for the franchise, scoring 17.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. On the other hand, Odyssey Sims helped in facilitating the most, leading the team in assists with 5.1 APG. Despite the combined efforts of both of these players, LA still fell short. Perhaps, Cameron Brink's absence was drastically felt throughout the roster.

This year, the Sparks are in hopes for bouncing back in the season. The Minnesota Lynx's trajectory last year was a complete opposite of the Sparks. They won the Commissioner's Cup as well as made a run to the WNBA Finals. The Lynx have built a strong team this year, with a good balance of veterans and young talent. The team is led by Cheryl Reeve's strong coaching staff that is looking to leverage on home court advantage to make a deep playoff run.

Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx Injury Report

Injuries are always a matter of concerns for high-level matchups such as that between Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx. Ahead of this showdown, here are the list of players who are on LA Sparks and Minnesota Lynx's injury reports. However, the status of these players can change an hour before the game.

Los Angeles Sparks Injury Report

The following players are listed on Los Angeles Sparks' injury report:

• Julie Allemand (OUT): Was last ruled in the game against the Golden State Valkyries
• Cameron Brink (OUT): Cameron Brink was ruled out for the last WNBA season but is expected to return to action sometime in June.

Minnesota Lynx Injury Report

The following players are listed on Minnesota Lynx injury report:

• Kayla McBride (OUT): Due to personal reasons
• Alanna Smith (Day-to-Day): A quadricep injury is causing her status to be listed as doubtful as of now.

Predicted Lineups

In this section, we will give you an idea about which players to expect as the starting 5 for the Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx matchup. The predicted lineups for both teams are listed in the tables below.

Los Angeles Sparks Lineup

Here is how the Los Angeles Sparks' predicted lineup will look like:

Minnesota Lynx Predicted Lineup

Here is how the Los Angeles Sparks' predicted lineup will look like:

Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx Players to Watch

There are quite a lot of players that you can watch out for in this upcoming Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx matchup. Here are some of the players who are expected to put up a commendable performance in the matchup:

Los Angeles Sparks Players to Watch

For the Los Angeles Sparks, Dearica Hamby and Odyssey Sims have shown promising talent despite the Sparks' abysmal record. Though the Sparks could win only 20% of their last matchups, Hamby and Sims have been the most productive in the team in terms of scoring and facilitating. Furthermore, fans also need to look out for Kelsey Plum, who arrived at LA after a blockbuster trade in the off-season.

Plum and Hamby have a great relationship on the court, given they had also won the 2022 championship together with the Las Vegas Aces. Furthermore, Rickea Jackson, who made it to the All-Rookie Team last year will also be aiming for a stellar start to the season with this matchup.

Minnesota Lynx Players to Watch

The Minnesota Lynx have a simple goal for this season, i.e, finish unfinished business. After a heartbreaking loss to the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals, all that the Lynx eye towards would be to win the chip. Do watch out for Napheesa Collier and Karlie Samuelson, who would want to go out for a bender to start the season.

The Lynx traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Washington Mystics for Samuelson, a sound addition to the Lynx's strong roster. Samuelson is a lethal three-point shooter, adding to scoring several triples from the deep. Expect the Lynx to go all out on scoring, which is something they have relied on all throughout last season.

Where to Watch Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx?

If you are wondering where to watch the Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx lineup, here is everything that you need to know.

• Date: May 18 | 6:00PM ET
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
• Broadcast: Spectrum SportsNet, FanDuel Sports Network-North
• Stream: WNBA League Pass

Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx: Who will Win?

The Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx matchup is an interesting showdown to look out for. One team had the worst record in the league last season while the other progressed for the WNBA Finals. Both teams also have different ambitions: one for a playoff berth and the other's aim being title contention.

Given the strengths and weaknesses on both rosters, this seems like an easy win for the Lynx. The Sparks still have much more to figure on the defensive end and their scoring output, even from their best players is not enough to match the Lynx. Expect the Lynx to have a 60% chance of winning this matchup by at least 10 points.

Our prediction: Minnesota Lynx 73-83 Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx Betting Odds

The following could be the betting odds for the Los Angeles Sparks vs Minnesota Lynx matchup:

Odds: Thunder by 10.5

Over/Under: 156.5

Money Line: Lynx -350 | Sparks +280