After knocking off league-leading Minnesota on Thursday, the Los Angeles Sparks host the Golden State Valkyries at 7 pm. ET Sunday night.
The Valkyries have won three straight and 12 of 14 after an impressive 94-76 victory at Dallas on Friday. Veronica Burton had 22 points, Gabby Williams added 19 points, and Kayla Thornton contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds as Golden State won on the road for the sixth time in seven tries and improved to 22-9 overall, tied with Las Vegas for second behind the Lynx in the WNBA.
The Sparks have slumped of late, although they have won two of three after dropping six straight. At 12-18, Los Angeles is six games out of the last playoff spot and in danger of missing the postseason for the sixth straight year.
Rae Burrell had 17 points, and Dearica Hamby added 16 points and 9 rebounds as the Sparks took a step in the right direction with perhaps their most impressive victory of the season, 89-82 at home over Minnesota Thursday evening.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Los Angeles put on a horrid shooting display in a 78-58 setback to the Valkyries in San Francisco in May.
Williams had 16 points while Kaila Charles had 13 points and 8 rebounds in the victory. Burrell was the only Sparks player to finish in double figures with 13 points. Los Angeles scored a season-low 58 points while shooting just 33% (20-for-60) from the field, including an atrocious 14% (3-for-21) from long range.
Golden State Valkyries vs. Los Angeles Sparks betting picks and predictions
Golden State Valkyries -6.5 (-110)
The Valkyries are 6.5-point road favorites. They easily covered the same spread at home against Los Angeles in May. Golden State has been impressive on the road with a 9-5 record, while the Sparks have lost two straight at home and are just 5-9 there this season.
Golden State is 8-2 straight up and 6-4 against the spread in its last 10, while the Sparks are 3-7 straight up, but 7-3 ATS during that same stretch.
Golden State is 4-1 against Los Angeles since entering the league last year. That includes four straight wins, with the Valkyries covering in each of those contests.
Six different players have led Golden State in scoring during this 12-2 run. Nobody on the team scores more than Williams’ 14.8 points per game, so it is hard to D up on just one or two players. And the Valkyries’ defense is suffocating.
They lead the league in scoring defence with just 77.1 points allowed per game. If you are going to beat them, it’s simple: you have to outpace their defense. The Valkyries are allowing an average of just 71.6 points per game in their last 12 wins.
In their last 14 contests, they have only allowed more than 83 points in their two losses. If Los Angeles wants the W, it will need to find a way to light up the scoreboard. That probably won’t happen. Take Golden State and the points.
Over 170.5 points (-110)
The Sparks are averaging 98 points in their last four games, but they are still only 2-2 during that stretch because they allowed an average of 97.8 points in that stretch. Los Angeles has the worst scoring defense in the league, allowing 93.9 points per game.
Although these teams fell well under the 173.5-point total in May, look for them to play to the Over tonight.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the WNBA on site.
Golden State Valkyries vs. Los Angeles Sparks odds
Golden State Valkyries | -260 |
Los Angeles Sparks | +210 |
Spread | GS Valkyries -6.5 |
Total Points | O/U 170.5 |
Golden State Valkyries vs. Los Angeles Sparks player props
Player points
Gabby Williams (GS Valkyries) | O/U 14.5 |
Veronica Burton (GS Valkyries) | O/U 13.5 |
Janelle Salaun (GS Valkyries) | O/U 11.5 |
Nneka Ogwumike (LA Sparks) | O/U 14.5 |
Dearica Hamby (LA Sparks) | O/U 13.5 |
Rae Burrell (LA Sparks) | O/U 13.5 |
Read the latest WNBA news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
