There are six WNBA games tonight, so there are plenty of players to choose from when determining the best first-basket scorer bets of the night.
Below, I look at one favorite and two longshots for three of the WNBA's biggest games.
Here are the best WNBA first-basket bets for Tuesday, June 17th.
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Tuesday’s Best WNBA First Basket Scorers & Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Atlanta Dream vs. New York Liberty
The game of the night in the WNBA features the Liberty hosting the Dream. Both teams are at least five games above .500, and the Liberty return home after suffering their first loss of the season. These two haven't played each other yet, and while both teams are great offensively, points may be at a premium, as they rank first and second in points allowed per game.
Breanna Stewart is favored to score first in this game. However, her price of +500 leaves a lot to be desired from a betting perspective. Therefore, I will look elsewhere. While Sabrina Ionescu is a solid choice to score first at +700, I'm looking at the Dream to get started first.
They've scored first in three of their last four games. Twice, those buckets were scored by Allisha Gray. Gray is currently tied with Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner for the shortest odds of any Dream player to score first. But with how effective she's been in early possessions of late, I think her odds provide a little more value than they should.
Pick: Allisha Gray (+650)
Golden State Valkyries vs. Dallas Wings
Despite how bad the Wings have been this season, they're favored in tonight's game against the Valkyries. And while the first basket can be scored by a team that goes on to get blown out, I'm going to side with the strange line from oddsmakers and expect the Wings to have a great game from start to finish. So, who will score first for them?
The team's leading scorer, Paige Bueckers, has the shortest odds at +650. And while Bueckers scored first in her last game, there's not enough value in taking her here. Instead, I'm going to go way down the list to Myisha Hines-Allen. She's only averaging 6.7 points per game this season, but she's made the first shot in two of the last four Wings' games.
Although Hines-Allen doesn't remain a shooter throughout the game, she has been a focal point for the Wings early. If that trend continues tonight, she will make many bettors very happy.
Pick: Myisha Hines-Allen (+800)
Seattle Storm vs. Los Angeles Sparks
Despite making the first basket in each of their last two games, oddsmakers don't have much confidence in the Sparks scoring first tonight. Storm players have three of the four shortest odds to score first in tonight's game, which makes sense when you look at records, but doesn't when you consider how random the first basket of the game can be.
Azura Stevens has the shortest odds for the Sparks, but she's averaging just 13.3 points per game, so +700 isn't enough to get me to back her. Instead, I'm going with Rickea Jackson. Jackson has scored first in multiple games this season, and she is averaging 12.4 points per game.
While Stevens has a better chance of scoring first, the price difference between Stevens and the +950 being offered for Jackson is much larger than it should be. For nearly 10-to-1, take the Sparks player who scored first in their last game.
Pick: Rickea Jackson (+950)
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.