Storm vs Sky WNBA First Basket Picks: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike (May 28)
(Photo by Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images) Pictured: Nneka Ogwumike #3 and Skylar Diggins-Smith #4.
The Seattle Storm will meet the Chicago Sky for the first time this season at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.
Keep reading for my WNBA first basket prop picks for the Storm vs. Sky matchup on Tuesday, May 28.
Skylar Diggins-Smith First Field Goal (+900, DraftKings)
The Seattle Storm are 4-for-6 this season in terms of winning the tipoff, while the Chicago Sky enter the contest 2-for-4. Storm center Ezi Magbegor’s 6’7” wingspan gives her the edge here over Elizabeth Williams, so look for Seattle to likely win the tip.
Skylar Diggins-Smith has taken Seattle’s first shot in 3-of-6 games to start the season, and she possesses a favorable matchup. The Sky are bleeding interior looks despite adding No. 7 overall pick Angel Reese to the mix. Opponents have averaged the most restricted area field goal attempts per game versus Chicago, including the most during the first quarter.
Enter Diggins-Smith, who takes the second-most restricted area attempts per game on the Storm behind only Nneka Ogwumike. Her efficiency has been poor to start the year, but Diggins-Smith owns a quality chance of getting the first look.
Overall, snagging +900 odds (10% implied probability) is a steal based on her first basket usage and shot profile through six games. For context, FanDuel has Diggins-Smith set at +650 odds.
I would play this at 0.3 units and down to +650 odds.
Nneka Ogwumike First Basket (+550, FanDuel) & First Storm Basket (+220, FanDuel)
Ogwumike owns Seattle’s first shot in 1-of-4 starts; however, she has cashed Seattle’s first basket in 3-of-4 starts. The veteran paces the Storm in restricted area and paint attempts per game, which bodes well for her against Chicago. Meanwhile, Ogwumike is scorching hot at the moment to the tune of a 63.2 FG% and 67.3 TS%, which means she likely knocks down the shot if given the opportunity.
Ogwumike’s first Storm basket prop also provides insurance if one of these two miss the first shot because it offers her another possession to convert in case Chicago subsequently scores first.
I recommend playing Ogwumike first basket at 0.3 units and down to +450 odds, while playing first Storm basket at 0.4u and down to +200 odds.
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