Thanks to the influx of extraordinary young talent, the popularity of the WNBA is blowing up. Unsurprisingly, the betting markets are too. Showing respect to the wonderful women’s game, this gambler will occasionally dip his toe in the WNBA wagering waters.
The pick — Dearica Hamby OVER 15.5 points at Mercury (-120, FanDuel)
- FanDuel offer: Bet $5 and get $150 in Bonus Bets
Tune in to your favorite sports talk station in Los Angeles, and all the talk on Friday morning was about the Lakers.
It’s understandable. Whether ongoing disagreements about head coach JJ Redick’s dropped “F” bombs during his introductory press conference or the discourse about the possible historic on-court pairing of LeBron James and Bronny James, who was selected at No. 55 overall by his father’s team in the NBA Draft, the chatter around the game of basketball is dominating office or on-air conversations in Southern California.
Few, however, are talking about the one team currently in action — the Sparks.
At 4-13, Curt Miller’s club is next to last in the Western Conference. Losers of six straight games, the Sparks are no doubt mired in a deep slump.
Still, forward Dearica Hamby remains a bright spot.
This season, the two-time All-Star has averaged a healthy double-double, netting 17.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Shooting 50.9% from the floor and 40.0% from three, she’s displayed quite the versatile skill set.
On Friday night in Phoenix, presumably over another 30+ minutes played, bank on her shot volume cranking. The Mercury are the WNBA’s third-fastest team. They’re also leaky defensively, surrendering the fourth-most points per game (85.0) and fourth-most points per possession (1.030). Brittney Griner’s return has helped minimally.
Hamby has scored at least 16 points in 14 of 17 games, including 23 against Phoenix on June 2. It's puzzling that the threshold is that low.
If the prop hits, a small group of gamers are sure to mention the Sparks.
WNBA season record: 9-6, +4.56 units