Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon
What’s good, family? It’s your boy, Sykes, bringing you another edition of Layup Lines. Let’s chat a bit about the incredible basketball we’re about to see.
On Sunday, the WNBA is blessing us with one of the best playoff series that we might see on a hardwood court — anytime, anywhere in any league.
The Las Vegas Aces are suiting up at home against the Seattle Storm and this is going to be one for the ages.
The stakes are there, obviously. This is a rematch from the 2020 WNBA Finals in which the Storm had their way with the Aces. But this is a chance for revenge for Vegas as they try to make it back to the Finals.
Put all of that aside for a second, though. We need to recognize how much talent is actually going to be on the court for this series. A handful of the best remaining players in the playoffs will be on the court here.
There will be 3 MVPs on the court between A’ja Wilson (2020), Breanna Stewart (2018) and Tina Charles (2012). On top of that, Seattle collectively has 29 All-Star appearances and 23 All-WNBA appearances between Sue Bird, Jewel Lloyd, Stewart and Charles.
The Aces aren’t slouching much, either. They’ve got current All-Stars on their roster in Wilson along with Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. All 3 of them will likely be All-WNBA selections this year as well. Let’s also not forget that Stewart and Wilson are MVP front runners this year.
This is going to be epic, y’all. We couldn’t have asked for a better series heading into the Finals. Don’t miss this one. You’ll be missing history if you do.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Speaking of Sunday’s matchup, our Cole Huff put together an excellent preview of the Semi-Finals to get you brushed up on everything you need to know with betting odds, analysis and more. The playoffs have been epic already, but they’re getting ready to get even better.
“Each series provided its hint of suspicion, including Vegas nearly trailing an undermanned Phoenix Mercury in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Sky and Sun surviving win-or-go-home games on the road, and the Storm putting away a sneaky longshot-favorite in Elena Delle Donne and the Mystics.
But when the dust settled, all four of the higher-seeded teams were left standing. And as we roll into the semis, the action is only going to get better.”
Cannot wait, y’all.
Shootaround
— The two best players in the NBA going right at it in FIBA World Cup qualifying play? More please.
— It sucks that Chet Holmgren will be missing time this year, but he’ll be just fine. History tells us that.
—Dawn Staley thinks she’d have a ton of success on the NBA level and it’s hard not to agree with her.
—Vanessa Bryant got a big win for Kobe and Gigi on Thursday. Good for her.
That’s all, folks. Enjoy the basketball this weekend!
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
