WNBA First Basket Scorers & Picks: Thursday (9/17)
We are back with the last four games in the WNBA to be decided. There are five games across the league this evening. We will be focusing on three well-known options who may be chomping at the bit to to score the first bucket after the hiatus. Here are a couple of players to consider for making the first basket in their contest on Thursday, September 17.
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Thursday's Best WNBA First Basket Scorer Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Connecticut Sun at Atlanta Dream
The popular options for this contest will be Rhyne Howard (+460) , Olivia Nelson-Ododa (+550) , and Angel Reese (+700). While all three are tremendous candidates, we are going to dig a little deeper, and focus on a player that will more than likely go way under the radar for the first player to score a field-goal. Allisha Gray has not played since August 30th, and will be looking to get the scoring going early at home against an inferior Connecticut team.
Allisha Gray is one of four player tied with 4.7 points through the first 10 minutes of gameplay this season. Gray has improved her scoring in the first quarter to 6.4 on 52.2% shooting over the last five games. The veteran scorer is putting up over 4.5 attempts over that span. Gray is coming off a 23-point performance when the Dream last took the court in August. Gray is averaging nine first quarter points through the previous two home games.
Pick: Allisha Gray (+700)
Washington Mystics at Chicago Sky
Our next selection is not as straight-forward as it seems. Shakira Austin is clearly one of the best bigs in the league this season. Austin was performing at an elite level before the World Cup break, and Washington was seemingly trying to get get her going as quick as possible. The center for the Mystics has been sidelined for three weeks, and will no doubt want to get in on the action early tonight.
Shakira Austin leads the league with 10 games of successfully hitting the first basket. Chicago has allowed 19 first baskets this season, followed by only four teams. Austin scores 4.7 points through the first 10 minutes. The center for Washington is always a strong candidate to be the first player to crack the scoring column. That becomes even more so when the opponent is not very astute at stopping their opponent from opening the scoring for the game.
Pick: Shakira Austin (+320)
Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm
No surprise here whatsoever. The 4X MVP decided to focus on the rest of the season, and elected to stay behind for the 2026 FIBA World Cup. A rested and rejuvenated A'ja Wilson is quite frankly a dangerous one. There's ultimately no reason to believe that Las Vegas is going to choose to kick off their offense any other way than through the hands of their best player. Wilson is second in the league in regards to first quarter scoring with 6.5 points.
The center for the Aces has improved on points and shooting percentage through the first 10 minutes of the last five games. Wilson is averaging 6.8 points through five contests, while shooting an efficient 60% from the field. This won't be the easiest tip-off to win considering the size of Seattle's front court. Having said that, even if Las Vegas does not win the initial tip off, they can easily force a miss, and get it immediately to Wilson for a quick score on the other end.
Pick: A'ja Wilson (+330)