Layup Lines: Best basketball day of 2025

Happy Sunday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA. If it also feels like the surface of the sun where you are, count your lucky stars for basketball on TV today.

📆 Scheduling note: The W is off tomorrow, so we’ll see you back here Tuesday!

This 473 word newsletter should take about 2 minutes to read.

About last night

• It wasn’t the most exciting Saturday, as Phoenix scored a season-high 107 points to blow out Chicago and Minnesota put the clamps on L.A. to get a big win — even with current MVP favorite Napheesa Collier out with a back injury.

• We went 1-1 with our bets by taking the Mercury but also the under (and Collier not playing voided the bet on her points scored).

Today’s games

• We’re 39-34 this season with a $115 profit off an initial $1,000 budget.

• There are five (!) games today — Chicago @ Atlanta (3pm ET, ESPN3), Dallas @ Washington (3pm, ESPN3), Indiana @ Las Vegas (3pm, ESPN), New York @ Seattle (7pm) and Connecticut @ Golden State (8:30pm). We’re going to hit four of them:

  • The Sky are getting less than 24 hours of rest to travel and cannot score right now (more on Chicago below).

    • Bet: Under 159.5 total points scored, $50 to win $44.

  • The Fever are coming off a bad loss to Golden State and are going to come out firing on national TV.

    • Bet: Indiana -1, $50 to win $46.

  • Seattle and New York both allow less than 80 points per game and the Liberty are a different team offensively without Jonquel Jones, who is out for at least a month with an ankle injury.

    • Bet: Under 165 total points scored, $50 to win $45.

  • Fading the Sun as double-digit underdogs has not been lucrative this week, but they also haven’t played the Valkyries’ buzzsaw of a defense yet this season.

    • Bet: Golden State -10, $50 to win $47.

Take of the day

• Chicago coach Tyler Marsh took his starters out midway through the third quarter yesterday with his team down by less than 20. Could that have been a strategic play knowing the Sky had to travel to play again today? Maybe. But it’s also something to monitor.

• Marsh has seemed over his head this season and if he makes a habit of pulling out the white flag earlier than other coaches, we can exploit that.

Graphic to go

The first-ever WNBA game, a Liberty win over the Sparks, was played 28 years ago yesterday.

Layup Lines is written 100% by human beings and we appreciate your support. If you’re still reading, you must like this newsletter enough to share it with a friend. We’ll see you back here Tuesday!

— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor