- Layup Lines
- Posts
- 🥽 Layup Lines: Miles ahead?
Sponsored by
Happy Saturday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA.
I’ve been slacking on the newsletter this week! Here’s hoping you found ways to pass the time.
I’m still adjusting to a full-time job and never want to send one of these unless I have something to say, so thanks for bearing with me.
This 674 word newsletter should take less than 3 minutes to read.
😼 Can the Lynx keep this up?
Editor’s note: This was made before Miles’ rough Friday night. Still cool!
Olivia Miles finally put up a clunker last night during what has been an electric start to her career. The rookie scored just seven points on 1-10 shooting with six turnovers.
And yet Minnesota still beat Golden State on the road, 81-75, behind one of the best games of well-traveled veteran Nia Coffey’s career (22 points).
The Lynx now have the best record in the league (13-3) with a ludicrous +12.9 point differential (no other team even clears +7) and it can’t be said enough — they lost five of last year's top eight scorers to free agency and haven’t had Napheesa Collier on the floor yet. They should not be this good.
Here’s what I’m watching: Is Minnesota emptying the tanks too early again? We kinda saw this playbook last year. The Lynx were by far the best regular season team, probably would’ve seen Collier win MVP had she not gotten hurt, but then squandered a 20-point lead in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals and never recovered. They lost steam as the season went on, which is a hard way to win a championship.
In 2024, the Lynx had the second-best regular season record and lost in the Finals. Are we going to see another flameout, or is Miles a special enough player to fight through the rookie wall and help deliver Minnesota its first title since 2017?
This newsletter is brought to you by Cycling Frog
Free gummies for better weather
The sun is here and we're back outside!
Longer days, lighter hangs, and THC gummies that fit the vibe. Grab a free pack of gummies from Cycling Frog! Just cover $4.99 shipping. Fruity, perfectly dosed, and made for campfires, park days, and whatever summer turns into.
Must be 21+ and only valid on 10ct bags of gummies
NOT VALID IN OH, CA, CO, AL, LA AND NJ.
📺 What’s on this weekend
The game worth watching today is on in a couple hours, as the Dream host the Fever at 1pm ET on ABC.
It’s a rematch of Thursday night in Indiana, when the Fever lost 108-101 despite scoring 100+. It’s the third time they’ve done that this season, which already ties a W season-long record. Perhaps we consider playing some defense today, friends.
Tomorrow is well-stocked. We’ve got some of the best teams in the league on the slate, plus more Miles in the afternoon. Settle in for Golden State @ Las Vegas (4:00pm, CBS), Washington @ Minnesota (6:00pm, NBA TV) and New York @ Los Angeles (8:00pm, ESPN)
Bets I like: Atlanta / Indiana over 176.5 total points (-115), Golden State moneyline (+145) and New York -5.5 (-110).
*I am 10-5 on bets I like this season.
Standings update. Thanks ESPN!
📆 Big schedule announcement
The WNBA announced this week that it’s going to a 50-game schedule in 2027, up from 44 this year and between 30-34 for most of the history of the league.
There are some injury concerns, but more games is good for business. More tickets, higher revenue, bigger salaries. I’m curious how this affects the off-season leagues, though Unrivaled (Gabby Williams) and Project B (Azzi Fudd) both announcing big-name deals this week means players still want to play in both.
But if I’m a WNBA owner, I much prefer my highest-paid player have an offseason like A’ja Wilson (0 games played) than Breanna Stewart (14 Unrivaled, 2 EuroLeague). If they keep adding games, I feel pretty confident the next CBA has clauses for off-season leagues.
👑 Graphic to go
I personally do not care about in-season tournaments in any sport, which means I haven’t paid attention to the Commissioner’s Cup standings.
But we are getting a fun matchup in Brooklyn for the championship, so no complaints.
Courtesy @wnba
Layup Lines is written 100% by a human being. I very much appreciate you reading!
— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor