Layup Lines: Crazy Camp Day

Happy Thursday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA.

• Having games on all day is the best, even if I read most of them wrong and went 1-2 with yesterday’s bets.

This 478 word newsletter should take about 2 minutes to read.

What a Wednesday

• Connecticut (+18), Golden State (+8.5) and Phoenix (+7.5) all entered the day as sizeable underdogs, but these daytime Camp Days can be an equalizer. All three came out with big wins:

  • Tina Charles scored 29 to lead the Sun to a win over the Storm, their first in over a month. “We disrespected Connecticut today and we got what we deserved,” Storm forward Gabby Williams said after the game.

  • Kate Martin is now 6-0 in her WNBA career against Caitlin Clark, as the Valkyries turned a 55-50 game in the third quarter into a 80-61 blowout of the Fever.

  • Perhaps buoyed by the return of fiancée DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas scored a career-high 29 to lead the Mercury over the Storm.

• Chicago also beat Dallas by double digits by holding the Wings to 36% from the floor.

Getting owned by a family member

• On May 29, about a week after I dedicated a good chunk of the Layup Lines debut issue to how bad Golden State was going to be this season, my sister texted me, “I can’t wait for the Valkyries to prove you wrong.”

• Congratulations to the Valks for eclipsing their preseason win total of 9.5 in early July, to Virginia for knowing ball and to you for still reading this newsletter regardless of that take.

Today’s games

• We’re 53-48 this season with a $53 profit on an initial $1,000 investment. Yes, that’s right — after 101 bets this season, we’ve made enough money for you to buy one Nike A’One (but not the pair).

• There are two games today: Minnesota @ Los Angeles (3pm ET, League Pass) and Las Vegas @ Washington (7:30pm, Prime Video).

  • The Lynx are playing their second game in 24 hours but are also coming off a tough loss. I think anger overcomes sore legs here.

    • Bet: Lynx -7.5, $50 to win $47.

  • A’ja Wilson participated in the Aces’ shootaround about 30 minutes ago. If she plays, Vegas will be competitive, and if she doesn’t, the Mystics could score 100.

    • Bet: Las Vegas / Washington over 158.5 total points scored, $50 to win $45.

Picture to go

• Scoring 29 points on one free throw and zero 3-pointers is why Alyssa Thomas is a 1 of 1.

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

— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor