It's Sunday in the W with the 2026 WNBA Playoffs beginning today, and as always I'm breaking down the top WNBA First Basket Scorer picks.
Let’s get into the lone game of WNBA action for Sunday, September 27, with our best First Basket Scorer props! Be sure to check with our WNBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet when building your tickets.
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Sunday's Best WNBA First Basket Scorer Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Washington Mystics vs. Phoenix Mercury
Shakira Austin has scored the First Basket in 11-of-43 (30.6%) games this season. Austin has been a First Baskets machine this season, but cashed only one in her last 13 games. Still, a 25.6% cash rate on a prop with this much variance is bananas, even if the +323 feels juiced. Today, Washington Mystics take on the East’s top team, the Atlanta Dream.
Austin won the tip 59.1% of the time and took the first shot in 23.3% of her starts. Against a tough Atlanta squad, the Mystics will want to get Austin going early. Austin cashed this prop in 1-of-3 meetings between these two teams this season, but Washington won the opening tip of two of them.
Even with the recent relative “slump”, if you are betting on this Quick Hit prop in a Mystics game, it’s a fool’s errand landing on someone who isn’t Shakira Austin.
Pick: Shakira Austin (+323)
Dallas Wings vs. Golden State Valkyries
Paige Bueckers has scored the First Basket in 9-of-42 (21.4%) games this season. Bueckers’ nine First Baskets trailed only the aforementioned Shakira Austin in the WNBA this season. Buecks also takes the first shot 23.8% of the time. Bueckers has really strapped the Wings on her back down the stretch and willed this team into the playoffs.
In the three games between these two teams this season, Bueckers scored the First Basket on August 7 and took the first shot in two of the three. Dallas also led the WNBA as a team with 27 team first baskets.
There simply t00 much value in Bueckers’ +550 return to pass up right now.
Pick: Paige Bueckers (+550)
Luke Monaldo is a featured writer at BettingPros. Follow him on Twitter @MoKnowsSports, Discord @alydar1227 AKA The GIFTing Crooner, and on TikTok @The GreatLoudini. For more from Luke, check out his archive.