WNBA Best Bet for May 16: Ride the Valkyries For Home Opener

WNBA Pick: Valkyries +7 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)

Valkyries +7 (-108)

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It’s easy putting the Golden State Valkyries in our WNBA picks for Friday’s launch – and just as easy fading the Los Angeles Sparks at the WNBA odds boards.

Los Angeles Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries

Friday, May 16, 2025 – 10:00 PM EDT at Chase Center

*Odds as of May 15, 2 PM ET

There’s a new kid in town. The Golden State Valkyries will play their first WNBA regular-season game this Friday night at the Chase Center, and to give things a little extra spice, their opponents will be the Los Angeles Sparks. It’s NorCal vs. SoCal, the new against the old – and it’s a golden opportunity to put Golden State in your WNBA picks as 7-point road dogs at Heritage.

Who Are the Golden State Valkyries?

The Valkyries are the WNBA’s latest attempt to put women’s basketball on the map in Northern California. The Sacramento Monarchs folded their tent in 2009, just four years after winning their first and only title; the WNBA awarded Golden State Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber a franchise in 2023, and here we are today getting ready for Game 1.

Last December’s expansion draft allowed Golden State to select one player from each of the other 12 teams, with restrictions. Then the Valkyries found themselves with the fifth overall pick at the 2025 WNBA Draft, which they used on Juste Jocyte, a 19-year-old Lithuanian-American and a promising wing who’s drawn comparisons to Stephen Curry.

Alas, Jocyte has announced she’ll stay in Europe for one more year, joining Spanish club Girona after six seasons at ASVEL Lyon. But there’s ample talent lined up for Friday’s debut; Kalya Thornton will be there after winning last year’s championship with the New York Liberty, and she’ll have fellow veterans Monique Billings and Stephanie Talbot beside her in the frontcourt.

Meanwhile, the backcourt has so much promise that local product Kaitlyn Chen, who just won the NCAA title with the UConn Huskies, failed to make Wednesday’s final roster – as did forward Laeticia Amihere. Instead, it will be Kate Martin running the show alongside Julie Vanloo, with Carla Leite and Veronica Burton also in the mix.

What Happened to the L.A. Sparks?

They hit rock bottom. Injuries played a big role in their awful 2024 campaign, where the Sparks went 8-32 (19-20-1 ATS) and finished dead last in the overall standings – but it still cost head coach Curt Miller his job.

Things will get better. Los Angeles has a new analytic darling in Lynne Roberts, formerly with the University of Utah, and this year’s roster should improve just on health alone; having former No. 1 pick Kelsey Plum (most recently with the Las Vegas Aces) at point guard can’t hurt.

Sadly, forward Cameron Brink won’t be available until later this year, perhaps early June, as she continues her recovery from the torn ACL that sank her 2024 season. That’s one of the big reasons L.A. is only projected to win 17.6 games this year, as per ESPN’s WNBA Basketball Power Index.

Golden State isn’t far behind in the projections at 15.6 wins; ESPN has the Valkyries rated just one point per game worse than the Sparks on a neutral court. There won’t be anything neutral about Chase Center this Friday, not with a packed crowd ready and eager to put the freshly fallen Warriors on the back burner. 

The Pick

Conveniently enough, we got something of a dry run for Friday’s opener when the Valkyries hosted the Sparks on May 6 for preseason action. Final score: LA 83, GS 82. It’s a bit concerning that Golden State cut Amihere, who scored 20 points that day in just 19 minutes off the bench – but it also speaks to how much talent they had competing for those precious few spots. Bet accordingly, and may the sphere be with you.

WNBA Pick: Valkyries +7 (-108) at Heritage Sports 

Valkyries +7 (-108)

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*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.