Tag: Los Angeles Sparks

Kyrie Irving spotted supporting Los Angeles Sparks amid trade talks

Reports indicate that Kyrie Irving was spotted at a Los Angeles Sparks game amid his trade request.

Even though the Los Angeles Lakers are not pursuing Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving “aggressively” , the disgruntled point guard was spotted supporting LA’s WNBA team, the Sparks.

Clutch Points posted a video of Irving courtside at the Sparks, who were demolished by the Seattle Storm by more than 30 points.

Earlier this week it was reported that the Lakers and Nets were looking for a third party to participate in a multi-team trade. The Nets have zero interest in retaining Russell Westbrook’s $41 million contract, which is where the trade talks break down. The two parties will look for a third team to absorb Westbrook’s huge contract for next season.

The seven-time All-Star has a lot of interest around the league, but many insiders believe that Irving wants to reunite with LeBron James.

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Brooklyn is standing pat on dealing Irving, as their number one priority right now is to retain legitimate All-Star talent and a plethora of valuable draft picks for former MVP Kevin Durant.

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This lucky bettor made more than $400,000 on inexplicable WNBA road underdog parlay

What a gamble.

If you’re going to bet $7 thousand on an all-road underdog parlay, I can only assume you have money to burn. But what can I actually say when it pays off?

Lucky bet. That’s what I’ll go with. It was a lucky bet – albeit it a very lucrative one in the case of a DraftKings bettor who ended up with more than $400 thousand from a three-leg WNBA parlay on Saturday.

The first leg, a Phoenix Mercury win over the Dallas Wings, may have been the least shocking outcome of the three. But even that was far from a given considering it was Phoenix’s first game since parting with second-leading scorer Tina Charles. At +7.5 on Tipico Sportsbook, the Mercury were actually bigger underdogs than the LA Sparks (+6.5) against the Seattle Storm.

The Washington Mystics (+9.5), who capped this parlay with a win over the Las Vegas Aces, were actually the biggest underdogs of the three winners despite having the best record of the three. That tends to happen when you’re playing against a team favored to win the league championship at +110 odds. Their one-point overtime win in the late game was the one that made our lucky bettor sweat the most.

But like I said, this bettor obviously had money to blow and took a swing. And boy did they connect.

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Derek Fisher fired in his 4th season as Los Angeles Sparks head coach

The Sparks say goodbye to Fisher during his fourth season with the team.

Just 12 games into their 2022 WNBA season, the Los Angeles Sparks have fired head coach Derek Fisher during his fourth season with the team.

Fisher, a former five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, failed to bring his success as a player to the WNBA sideline. His tenure with the Sparks lasted 105 games (100 during the regular season and five in the postseason). The Sparks won only 55 of those games.

But barely scratching .500 wasn’t the sole reason for Fisher’s exit from the Sparks. Key departures during past free agency periods, like franchise legends and champions Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray, likely had his seat growing increasingly warmer with each passing season. The team’s disappointing 5-7 start to this season was just the cherry on top.

Assistant coach Fred Williams will take over as the team’s interim head coach.

Los Angeles has +3000 odds at Tipico Sportsbook to win this year’s WNBA title.

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W Bets: Picks, storylines and more for Fever vs. Sun, Mystics vs. Dream and Sparks vs. Storm

Breaking down Friday’s WNBA matchups and choosing which teams to bet on.

Welcome to Bet For the Win’s W Bets, where we break down, explain and bet on the WNBA. Today, we’re running down the first Friday slate of the 2022 season.

Season picks (record): 3-4

It’s Friday night in the W and there’s a fun three-game slate on deck to take us into the weekend.

The Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun kick things off with a battle at Mohegan Sun Arena. Then, the extremely hot Atlanta Dream looks to log a home win against the equally-as-hot Washington Mystics. Finally, the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm close out the slate with some action in the Pacific Northwest.

Here’s a look at Friday’s matchups, odds, and storylines.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

WNBA 2021 lottery teams playing well, A’ja Wilson blocking all shots and more from Week 1

Discussing all of Week 1s’s happenings in the W.

Welcome to Bet For The Win’s weekly WNBA column, where we cover everything women’s basketball from highlight plays and signature moments to bad beats and best bets. Be sure to check back here every week for your W fix.

The sample sizes are growing! Last week’s column covered just the opening weekend of the W, which basically served as reactions to one game (maybe two) from each team. A full week later we’ve got more data, more moments, more everything. From the Atlanta Dream’s surprising start to the league’s continued struggles with chartered flights, let’s break down what went on in the W— during the past week.

W Bets: Picks, storylines and more for Sparks vs. Dream, Liberty vs. Sky and Storm vs. Sun

Looking at the WNBA’s three-game slate.

This Wednesday, we have a star-studded three-game slate that should deliver plenty of entertaining basketball.

The Seattle Storm travel to Arizona to take on the Phoenix Mercury. The Chicago Sky will look for their first win of the season when they host the New York Liberty. Both the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream will try to stay undefeated when they match up on Wednesday.

Here’s a look at the matchups, odds and storylines.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

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The Sky lost their opener to Sparks after absurd foul call forced OT, and fans were furious

A bad stroke of luck for the defending champs.

A year after their first WNBA title, the Sky enter the 2022 season with high hopes.

One of the league’s deeper teams, Chicago seems poised to repeat. Hey, with Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot, that sort of success almost seems inevitable.

And, in all likelihood, they may still get that repeat title yet. But in Game 1, at the beginning of their title defense, the Sky (-3.5 point favorites coming in) lost a 98-91 heartbreaker to the Sparks. They’ll probably move on from this soon but, thanks to a terrible call, it doesn’t sting any less.

Let’s take it to the end of the fourth quarter, with the Sky nursing an 88-85 lead. Jordin Canada took the ball the length of the court before pulling up for a three, as Dana Evans came to challenge her. When Canada rose, it seemed Evans made contact, and the officials gifted Canada three throws to force overtime. There, L.A. would eventually pull away and win.

But did Evans really foul her?

Oh no. Oh goodness, no. That is the definition of a soft call. Like, it’s nonexistent contact that should have never decided the final result. That’s absurd officiating which took away a win from the Sky.

Fans watching the game were similarly displeased about the call.

WNBA Power Rankings Week 1: Sky, Sun and Storm looking strong ahead of season openers

Ranking the WNBA teams 1-12 ahead of Week 1 of the 2022 season.

Months have passed following the WNBA’s celebratory 25th season, one that saw the Chicago Sky win its first-ever championship 201 days ago. Headlines filled the eight-month intermission as notable players were traded, superstars switched teams, and coaches went to new organizations.

Alas, the dust has finally settled and the off-season is in the rearview. Now, each team has finalized its roster and is ready to roll into the 2022 season on an even playing field.

Where do things stand as the new season gets underway? We take a look at all 12 teams and rank them ahead of opening night with our first power rankings of 2022:

2022 WNBA Draft Recap: 5 under-the-radar picks that you should be excited about

Looking at five of the most under-the-radar picks of the 2022 WNBA Draft.

Monday night’s 2022 WNBA Draft was a doozy.

It was the first in-person draft since 2019 (pre-pandemic) and the hype around the event didn’t disappoint. Thirty-six players came off the board — some predictable, others not so much. And now that the dust has settled, I’m ready to talk about some of the picks outside of the Top 3 that could potentially be big in the long run.

Let’s run through a list of my five favorite picks of the W’s 2022 draft and break down what has me excited about these rookies’ potential fits on their new teams.

All odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.

2022 WNBA draft: Rae Burrell selected by Los Angeles Sparks

Lady Vols’ basketball player Rae Burrell drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks.

Rae Burrell was selected in the first round of the WNBA draft Monday.

Burrell, a guard and forward, was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the No. 9 overall pick.

She is the 44th Lady Vols’ player to be selected in the WNBA draft. Burrell is the third player to be drafted who played for Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper. Harper completed her third year at Tennessee during the 2021-22 season.

Burrell is the 19th Lady Vol to be selected in the first round in the history of the WNBA draft.

Burrell, a native of Las Vegas, Nevada, finished her four-year career at Tennessee with 1,131 points and ranks 36th on the school’s all-time scoring list.

She was one of 12 prospects to attend the WNBA draft despite missing several games during the 2021-22 season. Burrell suffered a leg injury during the Lady Vols’ season opener against Southern Illinois.

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