Saturday's WNBA schedule has three games, starting with the Seattle Storm taking on the Toronto Tempo, followed by the Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun, and wrapping up with the Indiana Fever visiting the Portland Fire.
Here are my best WNBA First Basket prop picks for each game:
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Saturday’s Best WNBA First Basket Scorers & Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Seattle Storm vs. Toronto Tempo
Laura Juskaite (+1000)
There really isn't a great choice for this game. Seattle scored first in three games, but hasn't in the last five. Toronto has scored first twice in the last four games. No player for either team has done so more than once.
With that in mind, I'm going with a long shot pick for this game. Toronto has played better on offense and plays at a slightly faster pace than the Storm. Plus, as an expansion team, they probably feel like they have to prove something every night. So, I can see them being a little more aggressive to start the game than a Seattle team that has struggled to find an offensive identity.
Why Juskaite? She has scored the first basket once already and has taken the first shot in two of Toronto's last four games. She doesn't take a ton of shots (5.0 per game), but she has a high effective field goal percentage (56.3 percent) compared to some of Toronto's more active shooters.
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Connecticut Sun
Aneesah Morrow (+550)
Both teams have made the first basket in a game three times this season. However, while Los Angeles has one of the highest scoring units in the WNBA, I've got to lean towards Connecticut for this game because of how the last three games played out for each team. The Sparks did not make the first shot in their last three, but the Sun did in three of their last four. In two of those games, Aneesah Morrow took the first shot of the day and made the first basket.
If Kelsey Plum were active, I might lean towards her since she has been a scoring machine. But since she isn't, I have to go with the player having the more recent success, Morrow.
Indiana Fever vs. Portland Fire
Kelsey Mitchell (+490)
I'd be surprised if someone from the Fever did not make the first basket in this game. Indiana has the highest scoring offense in the league and plays at a quicker pace than anyone. The only problem is that opponents have an effective field goal percentage of 51.1 percent. So, if they win the tip-off, they'll have a good chance of making the first basket.
But I still have to go with someone from the Fever.
I'm guessing Caitlin Clark is the betting favorite because of her popularity and shot volume (she takes roughly 16 shots a game, like Mitchell). But she has yet to take the first shot in a game or make the first basket. Mitchell attempted the first shot in three and made the first basket in two.
