Layup Lines: Debut Issue

Happy Friday and welcome to the debut issue of Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA. We’ll be in your inbox every day there are games this season to analyze gambling lines and what’s going on around the league.

•  Caveat: Spreads are just another way to analyze basketball. Gamble if you’re compelled and don’t if you aren’t — no judgement either way.

This 452 word newsletter should take less than 2 minutes to read.

Bets of the day

• We are 0-0 this season and have $1,000 to wager.

• There are three games tonight — Atlanta Dream @ Washington Mystics (7:30ET), Minnesota Lynx @ Dallas Wings (7:30ET) and Los Angeles Sparks @ Golden State Valkyries (10ET). I like two of them:

  • The Dream (-7.5) have a much stronger backcourt than the Mystics, and the new additions of Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones will handle Washington’s talented post players. Note: This line was 5.5 as of last night. Still taking it.

  • The Sparks (-6.5) won just eight games last year and are still missing an injured Cameron Brink, but also added Kelsey Plum to run the offense and feed second-year forward Rickea Jackson. And at least to start the season, I would take any team in the league favored by a single-digit number of points against the expansion Valkyries.

We’re going to bet $50 on each favorite to win $46 and $44, respectively.

Take of the day

• The Valkyries have the right infrastructure in place to grow into a contender soon but are going to be very bad this season. This is a team full of 3rd and 4th options who are either over 30 or rookies.

• Kate Martin and Veronica Burton will both get enough playing time to potentially make a talent leap, but regardless, this is easily the worst roster in the league. To give you a sense of where this team is at, their season over/under win total is a league-low 9.5 — and we’d be hammering the under there if we took season long props.

Card of the day

I’m not touching the Wings vs. Lynx game tonight in part because I need to see what Dallas star Arike Ogunbowale looks like defensively next to rookie Paige Bueckers. I love her auto, though!

Thanks for checking out the inaugural edition of Layup Lines. Your friends / loved ones / mail carrier can subscribe here.

If you bet, please do so responsibly, and we will see you back here tomorrow.

— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor