😲 Layup Lines: 12???

Plus, the Mystics and Storm try and stay alive with wins tonight.

Everett Cook
August 28, 2025

Happy Thursday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA. Have a strong, confident rest of the day out there.

This 486 word newsletter should take about 2 minutes to read.

Courtesy @wnba

This would’ve been a wild sentence to type in June, but the Aces are now in sole possession of second place after beating the Dream last night, 81-75, for their 12th straight win. A’ja Wilson has another incredible game — 34 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks — and Jackie Young quietly finished with a 10 point, 11 rebound and 10 assist triple-double.
- Atlanta is built around the three-ball but made four total shots from deep. Just going to be hard for the Dream to win when Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combine to go 3-17 on 3-pointers … and when the home crowd is chanting MVP for the opponent.
In the night’s other game, Connecticut continued its streak of looking like a real basketball team by scoring at will to beat the Paige Bueckers-less Wings, 101-95.

Play of the night: A’ja covering both sides of the paint in transition leading to a 3

After going, you guessed it, 1-1 last night, we’re 80-91 this season and have $290 remaining to wager.
There are three games tonight — Washington @ New York (7:00pm ET, Prime Video), Seattle @ Minnesota (8:00pm, League Pass) and Chicago @ Phoenix (10:00pm , Prime Video)
- The Mystics have to win to keep their playoff hopes alive but are really struggling on offense.
  - Bet: Washington / New York under 164 total points, $50 to win $45.
- Seattle has become one of the worst rebounding teams in the league.
  - Parlay: Minnesota moneyline, Napheesa Collier 8+ rebounds (-105), $50 to win $47.
- The Sky are healthy, which usually translates more to their offense than defense.
  - Bet: Chicago / Phoenix over 164, $50 to win $45.

25 under 25: Ranking the WNBA's best young players (ESPN)
How the Mercury’s ‘think outside the box’ roster-building created a winner (The Athletic, 🔐)
Power rankings: Chaos reigns (Yahoo)
Rookie round-up (Her Hoop Stats)

We’ve hit peak Our Best Player Should be MVP season. Nobody is more annoying about it than the Mercury for Alyssa Thomas, but you’ve also got the Aces pounding the drum for A’ja and the Storm, for some reason, doing the same for Nneka Ogwumike.
- I get it, but Napheesa Collier is the 2025 MVP. The Lynx have dominated the regular season, she leads the league in scoring on a ridiculous 54% field goal percentage and is top 10 in blocks, steals and rebounds. She’s winning this.

Layup Lines is written 100% by a human being. I very much appreciate you reading and will see you back here tomorrow.

— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor