Layup Lines: Lynx join elite company

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

• Last night was great for the Lynx (double-digit win over Golden State), bad for the Fever (two point loss to L.A. while finally looking mortal without Caitlin Clark) and really bad for our bets (0-2).

This 494 word newsletter should take about 2 minutes to read.

👀 Three fun facts

• The Lynx are now 10-0 at home to start the season (the Commissioner’s Cup final doesn’t count as an official game). Per the league, the last five teams to do that all won the championship.

  • Even that loss might be a good thing for Minnesota, as the last two Commissioner’s Cup losers also went on to win the WNBA title.

• Kelsey Plum is 21-1 all time against Indiana after the Sparks’ narrow win last night and now has the highest win percentage in league history against a single opponent, per ESPN.

Take of the day

• Despite a relatively quiet game last night outside of this huge block of Rickea Jackson, Indiana’s Makayla Timpson is yet another unheralded rookie from this draft class who could be a long-term contributor.

• WNBA drafts are notoriously top heavy and the lottery picks this year have some big hits, but Saniya Rivers (1st round, 8th overall, Connecticut), Aziaha James (1, 12, Dallas), Aaliyah Nye (2, 13, Las Vegas), Te-Hina Paopao (2, 18, Atlanta) and Timpson (2, 19, Indiana) also already look the part.

Today’s games

• We’re 46-45 this season and have $887 remaining of our initial $1,000 budget to wager.

• There are three games today — Seattle @ New York (1pm ET, CBS), Las Vegas @ Connecticut (4pm, League Pass) and Chicago @ Minnesota (7pm, League Pass). Our model has all of these totals being noticeably too high, so let’s do something a little wild.

  • The Storm score almost 10 points per game less on the road than at home and the Liberty are hard to trust without Jonquel Jones.

    • Bet: Seattle / New York under 168 total points scored, $50 to win $44.

  • The Sun are the worst team in the league even if Tina Charles (questionable, shoulder injury) does play, while the Aces are in a rut and have struggled to score on the road all season.

    • Bet: Las Vegas / Connecticut under 157.5 total points scored, $50 to win $44.

  • The Lynx are coming off their fourth game in six days — and second in less than 24 hours — but I still don’t trust the streaky Sky to cover.

    • Bet: Chicago / Minnesota under 160 total points scored, $50 to win $45.

Layup Lines is written 100% by human beings 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