We are well into the WNBA season, and it's shaping up to be a fun one with the expansion of teams and arguably the most talent the league has ever seen. WNBA first basket scorers are some of the best ways to get in on the action, as you don't have to sweat the entire game.
Of course, these are high-variance bets with long odds similar to first touchdown scorer bets in football, but that is why the odds allow for a nice payout when you get one right. With a large sample size, the risk is rewarded. Remember to shop around as odds vary widely across sportsbooks. Remember, these bets are for the first point scorer, so free throws also count.
We hit on a +480 bet last time out when Shakira Austin scored first, so let's try to stay hot. Here are the best first basket scorer bets for Wednesday, June 3rd.
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Wednesday’s Best WNBA First Basket Scorers & Bets
Last Time: 1-2 | Season: 6-11 (+27.15 units) | Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Toronto Tempo vs. New York Liberty
We start at the Barclays Center, where the 5-4 Liberty host the 5-4 Tempo as 9.5-point favorites in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup. Sabrina Ionescu is listed as questionable tonight, which might not make much of a difference, but is noteworthy.
Jonquel Jones will take the opening tip for New York, and she has been dominant at the jump, going 5-1 at home with the Liberty winning the opening tip in six out of nine games this season. It also makes it easy to pick a side, considering Nyara Sabally, despite her 6-foot-5 frame, has gone 1-5 overall at the opening tip.
Assume the Liberty will at least take the first shot in this game. Once New York has the ball, the first basket has gone to a forward 60% of the time. I may be repeating myself, but with the Liberty roster rotating a lot in the early days, that funnels right back to Breanna Stewart, who has scored two of the six first baskets for the Liberty this season.
That may not seem like a high number, but no other player has multiple first baskets this season, so it does lead the team. Toronto has allowed an even split between guards and forwards scoring early, with most looks coming from layups, but a healthy chunk from three-pointers and jumpers as well.
The +500 odds are relatively chalky but still higher than the usual number we see, so I'm comfortable going right back to the well with the Liberty’s leading scorer.
Pick: Breanna Stewart (+500)
Phoenix Mercury vs. Seattle Storm
To close the night, we have the Phoenix Mercury traveling north to take on the Seattle Storm, with the Mercury listed as 6.5-point road favorites. The tip for this one is going to be interesting, as Natasha Mack (Phoenix) and Stefanie Dolson (Seattle) are both expected to take the jump but have won fewer than half their jumps this year.
For situations like these, trust the better offense. That's a bit easy considering Seattle's offense is the worst unit in the entire league.
Assuming Phoenix gets the first basket, it will likely come from inside the paint. None of their first baskets this season have come from deep. Among the six first baskets allowed by Seattle this season, four of them have been layups.
Kahleah Copper can drive, but she does take a lot of threes as well. That leaves Alyssa Thomas, who takes nearly all of her shots in the paint, with nearly 70% of them coming at the rim. I don't like going chalk for both bets, but considering they're both sitting at +500 odds, that's got to be a good sign, right?
Pick: Alyssa Thomas (+500)
