The Golden State Valkyries take their franchise-leading one-game winning streak into tonight’s WNBA matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Kayla Thornton is a veteran sniper in a shooting slump, and my Valkyries vs. Sparks predictions expect a big night from downtown from the Golden State forward.
Read on as I share my WNBA picks for Friday, May 23.
Valkyries vs Sparks predictions
My Valkyries vs Sparks best bet: Kayla Thornton 3+ threes (+198 at FanDuel)
Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton has been doing the little things throughout her 10-year WNBA career.
One of the “little things” Thornton does is shoot the long ball, and she has the green light to let it fly for the Valkyries.
Thornton knocks down only 14% of her seven nightly attempts from downtown. That’s well below her career 32%, and she has an excellent opportunity to bounce back tonight at the Los Angeles Sparks.
LA will give Thornton plenty of looks as they allow more shots from downtown (31) while opposing shooters knock down 32% against the Sparks.
Thornton has struggled to find her shot, but she has the green light in what will surely be a pace-up affair. She’ll get 25-30 minutes’ worth of wide-open looks from downtown and should knock down 3+ triples tonight.
Valkyries vs Sparks same-game parlay (SGP)
Kayla Thornton 3+ threes
Valkyries +11.5
Over 159.5
Golden State's newfound tidiness with the rock and Thornton’s triples in a fast-paced game should allow the Valkyries to cover the spread and send the outcome Over the game total.
LA forced 22 Golden State turnovers, which they turned into 25 points on opening night. Without the turnovers and points, the outcome would have been much closer than the 17-point margin.
We should see a fast-paced contest tonight, with plenty of possessions for a high-scoring matchup. The Sparks' defense suffered without Rickea Jackson against Phoenix, and LA won’t mind getting into a run-and-gun, high-scoring affair.
Valkyries vs Sparks odds
Valkyries vs Sparks live odds
Valkyries vs Sparks opening odds
- Spread: Golden State +10.5 | Los Angeles -10.5
- Moneyline: Golden State +400 | Los Angeles -550
- Over/Under: Over 159.5 | Under 159.5
Valkyries vs Sparks trend
LA has allowed 89 points in each of its last two games. Find more WNBA betting trends for Valkyries vs. Sparks.
How to watch Valkyries vs Sparks
| Location | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date | Friday, 5-23-2025 |
| Tip-off | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ION |
Valkyries vs Sparks latest injuries
Valkyries: No injuries to report.
Sparks: Rae Burrell (out), Cameron Brink (out).
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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