The Valkyries are flying down to Dallas and are riding high on a three-game win streak! This spirited new squad has been enjoying some great success, bringing their record back to an exciting 5-5 this season. Though Dallas is currently sitting at 1-11, they still have the potential to be a threat, especially with Bueckers back in action. It’ll be thrilling to see how things unfold tonight!
Maddy Siegrist Out
Luisa Geiselsoder Out
Yasha Harris Out
Teaira McCowans Out
Tiffany Hayes Out
Well, the Wings are certainly not where they thought they'd be at this point. A record of 1-11 this season is just frustrating for a team with some talent. However, injuries have ripped through this team like wildfire. Nevertheless, there has been some hope as Bueckers returned from her concussion a few games ago and has been fantastic. The number one pick this year is truly showing she earned that spot.
This has been an unexpected heel turn for the Valkyries. In their first year as an active franchise, no one had outrageous expectations for them, but a solid 3-0 run lately has brought them back into the middle of the pack. This roster is deep at the moment too. They're lacking a true star right now, but as a team, this group has grown tremendously fast. The scoring is improving significantly as well. After struggling to hit 70 points collectively at the start of the season, they've been trending into the upper 70s, and even the 80s, in each game. A big part of that success has come from young talents like Jenelle Saluan and Burton, but Kayla Thornton has emerged as the primary scorer for this team. During their recent winning streak, she averaged 21 points per game. Her workload has definitely increased, so I doubt we'll see this level of production continue for long, but tonight, she could be a significant threat.
That could pose an issue for the Wings' defense. They' ve been allowing teams to run up the score almost every game, giving up the most points per game in the league at 88.5. 5. In contrast, Golden State allows only 79 on average. The Wings need this game to turn into a scoring battle to have a chance at winning. They're averaging 81 points per game themselves, while the Valkyries struggle to hit 80 most nights. If the Wings can exploit this strong Valkyries defense, there may not be much that Golden State can do to keep up.
However, I'm still leaning towards the Valkyries today! Even though they're the underdogs, I just don't see them falling apart on defense enough to let the Wings get the upper hand. This Valkyries team is still a bit underestimated in general, which is why I'm going with the Valkyries' moneyline, the over on the 164 points total, and the Golden State +3.5 spread.
Money line: GSV (+142) / DAL (-170)
Total Points: 164
Spread: +3.5 GSV (-108) / -3.5 DAL (-112)
Even though Bueckers can get out there and drop buckets, I don’t think we’ll see it tonight. The Valkyries have become an interesting defensive team. Players like Salaun and Thornton have done a fantastic job over the last few games turning the Valkyries into a real unit. Especially with all the injuries the Wings are currently facing, I think Bueckers will be swarmed the moment she touches the ball.
I’m liking the matchup tonight with Thornton against the Wings. Especially with no Siegrist playing tonight, the Wings lose a ton of depth inside, which should allow Thornton to find some openings here and there. This line will mainly be determined by her three-point attempts, though. She’s been lights out at times. If she’s able to get another 7 or 8 attempts from beyond the arc, she’ll be right on track to hit the over tonight.
Burton has really settled into the playmaker role on this team. We’ve seen her shot attempts slowly decreasing as this team begins to find some offensive consistency. She’s been rock solid during this three-game winning streak the Valkyries are on. Over those last three games, her lowest assists total was 6, with her getting 12 against Vegas back on the 7th. Considering the Wings are one of the weakest defensive teams in the league, I could see Burton slicing and dicing this defense apart all night.