The Los Angeles Sparks welcome the Golden State Valkyries to Crypto.com Arena on Monday night in a Commissioner’s Cup matchup. Both teams are looking to gain ground in the Western Conference after recent wins. This is their third meeting of the season, with each team winning once.
Golden State beat Los Angeles 82-73 on May 23. That win ended a previous losing stretch for the Valkyries. Since then, both teams have had streaks of losses and one strong win each entering this matchup.
The Sparks come in with a 3-6 record, while Golden State sits at 3-5. Los Angeles has struggled at home, going just 1-4 on their own court. Golden State has been only 1-3 on the road, so neither side has been strong away from their comfort zone.
Each team is also 1-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play so far. That adds some weight to this one as both clubs try to stay in the race. The winner will go above .500 in Cup standings and gain an early edge.
Sparks Preview – Balanced Attack Comes Up Big
Los Angeles got back on track with a 93-79 win over Dallas. They had five starters in double figures, led by Azura Stevens with 21 points. Dearica Hamby and Odyssey Sims followed close behind with 20 and 19 points.
Stevens bounced back strong after scoring just five in her last game. She now has four games with 21 or more points this season. She has scored only 17 total points across two games vs Golden State, so this will be a test of consistency.
Los Angeles ranks 12th in points allowed per game at 83.7. Their defense gave up over 85 points in three straight games before Friday. The Sparks will need to keep opponents under control if they want to stay in the win column.
Valkyries Preview – Breakthrough Performance Brings New Life
Golden State earned its best win of the season with a 95-68 blowout over the Las Vegas Aces. Kayla Thornton led the way with 22 points, and four other Valkyries scored at least 12. The team shot efficiently and held the Aces to a season-low point total.
Thornton now leads Golden State in scoring and rebounding. Veteran guard Veronica Burton added 14 points and 12 assists. The Valkyries’ balanced scoring made it tough for the defense to focus on one player.
On defense, the Valkyries allowed just 68 points in that game. That’s a big change from earlier in the year when opponents regularly hit the 80-point mark. They will need another strong defensive showing to handle the Sparks, who have been scoring better of late.
Betting Prediction
Los Angeles is a -6.5 favorite at home, with the total set at 161.5. The moneyline has the Sparks at -275 and the Valkyries at +225. The two earlier meetings both went under the total, with point totals of 155 and 151.
Golden State is coming off its best game of the season, but the Sparks have more scoring depth. Los Angeles has the better offensive numbers and plays well when they share the ball. Expect Los Angeles to win, but Golden State should keep it close enough to cover the spread. A final score around 84-79 looks likely.
Pick: Golden State +6.5
