Valkyries vs. Sun odds, tips and betting trends - 6/22/2025
The Connecticut Sun (2-11) will visit the Golden State Valkyries (6-6) after losing three consecutive road games. It begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 22, 2025.
Golden State beat Indiana 88-77 at home last time out, and were led by Kayla Thornton (16 PTS, 45.5 FG%, 5-8 from 3PT) and Tiffany Hayes (14 PTS, 5 AST, 44.4 FG%). In its most recent game, Connecticut fell at home to Dallas 86-83, with Tina Charles (26 PTS, 47.1 FG%) and Jacy Sheldon (10 PTS, 100.0 FG%, 2-2 from 3PT) leading the way.
Before watching this matchup, here's everything you need to know about Sunday's action on the court.
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Golden State Valkyries vs. Connecticut Sun odds and betting lines
WNBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 6:05 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
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San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Valkyries fall to woeful Wings: ‘For the first time, I'm disappointed'
ARLINGTON, Texas — After winning three games in a row, vibes couldn't have been better for the Golden State Valkyries. But on Tuesday night in Texas, none of that mattered. The Valkyries were outhustled by the WNBA-worst Dallas Wings (2-11) and suffered an 80-71 loss at College Park Center as a result. Outrebounded 39-28, Golden State (5-6) finished with 15 fewer shots. Dallas entered Tuesday having lost seven in a row. Rookie Paige Bueckers scored 20 points in her first home game since suffering a concussion earlier in the season, but the Valkyries mostly struggled on the boards and gave up 20 second-chance points, the most they have surrendered all season. Before the game, head coach Natalie Nakase said she didn't believe in momentum carrying over from the three wins, but forward Kayla Thornton thought perhaps the team had bought in a little too much to the hype. 'There's no way teams should outrebound us,' Thornton said. 'That's the identity we bring. That's what we should be doing every night, to other teams. This is kind of a wake-up. ... I think we were kind of high, too high. Now we got to come back to Earth a little bit and just get back to work.' Golden State responded to a fourth-quarter collapse in Phoenix on June 5 with strong showings in wins over Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Seattle as different players stepped up. Against the Wings, the Valkyries seemed to have no answer for how aggressively Wings guards crashed the boards. And Golden State players rushed shots, ending possessions early. Wings 80, Valkyries 71 FG FT Reb GOLDEN STATE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Talbot 21:27 0-3 0-0 0-2 4 2 0 Thornton 35:28 5-11 5-6 0-5 0 3 17 Billings 34:18 7-13 2-6 1-7 0 1 18 Burton 27:01 1-8 1-2 0-3 5 5 4 Leite 27:22 2-6 4-4 0-2 4 4 8 Amihere 24:11 6-7 2-3 3-6 2 4 14 Hayes 22:24 3-10 2-2 1-2 1 0 10 Martin 7:44 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Totals 200:00 24-59 16-23 5-27 17 19 71 Percentages: FG .407, FT .696. 3-Point Goals: 7-20, .350 (Billings 2-3, Hayes 2-4, Thornton 2-6, Burton 1-4, Leite 0-1, Talbot 0-2). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 6 (Billings 2, Amihere, Burton, Leite, Thornton). Turnovers: 15 (Thornton 4, Leite 3, Amihere 2, Burton 2, Martin 2, Hayes, Talbot). Steals: 5 (Billings, Burton, Leite, Talbot, Thornton). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .392, FT .789. 3-Point Goals: 7-27, .259 (Ogunbowale 3-8, Quinerly 1-1, Charles 1-2, James 1-4, Carrington 1-5, Hines-Allen 0-1, Yueru 0-1, Bueckers 0-5). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 3. Blocked Shots: 6 (Bueckers 2, Hines-Allen 2, Charles, Ogunbowale). Turnovers: 11 (Bueckers 3, Carrington 3, Hines-Allen 2, Ogunbowale, Quinerly, Smith). Steals: 11 (Bueckers 4, Charles 3, Ogunbowale 3, Carrington). Technical Fouls: None. Golden State 16 20 21 14 — 71 Dallas 23 16 19 22 — 80 A_6,061 (7,000). T_2:05. 'I told them for the first time, I'm disappointed in just how we fought,' Nakase said. 'We're a team that stays connected, and we fight, and I thought we didn't do well in both categories. But the bright side is, we know how to fix it and how to fix it quickly. Effort is the epitome of who we are. We are a defensive-minded team that loves to be physical, disrupt, pressure and take away the top scorers. That's kind of our identity. But if you don't have any effort, then that kind of becomes irrelevant.' Forward Monique Billings was in the starting lineup for the first time, becoming the 11th starter for Golden State in 11 games. Without starting center Temi Fagbenle, who joined the United Kingdom national team at EuroBasket after Saturday's game, Billings was Golden State's main post and finished with 18 points. Also without EuroBasket participants Julie Vanloo (Belgium), Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy) and Janelle Salaün (France), the Valkyries used an eight-player rotation even as point guard Veronica Burton got into foul trouble. Point guard Carla Leite (5-foot-9) blocked a layup by 6-4 NaLyssa Smith in the second quarter, while in-season signing Laeticia Amihere scored a career-high 14 points. Still vastly outsized by the Wings, Golden State didn't have enough to stop extended Dallas possessions. The Wings earned three offensive rebounds in the final 1:30. Billings didn't want to use the absences as an excuse. 'They outworked us,' Billings said. 'They outhustled us. They wanted it more. I don't think we brought our best game, our consistent game that we have been playing, and that's something that will tighten up.' Dallas went on a 15-5 run in the second quarter, but the Valkyries erased a 10-point deficit as Thornton and Billings combined for five consecutive makes, one after the Leite block and assist. They still trailed 39-36 at the half. With 3:37 left in the third frame, Leite forced a jump ball with 6-7 Li Yueru and recovered the possession, leading to two Tiffany Hayes free throws and a 54-51 lead. Billings tied the game at 70 with her second 3-pointer of the night — the first time in her career she has made two in a game — with 4:56 to play. But Dallas used a Bueckers floater and Arike Ogunbowale 3-pointer to get its first five-point lead of the fourth quarter. Golden State got no closer. Hayes scored 10 points in her first game back from a nose injury, but starting forward Steph Talbot was shut out and Burton finished with more fouls (five) than points (four). Amihere shot 6-of-7 from the field, but her teammates combined to shoot 34.6%. 'I'm trying to figure out with this group, I talked about just being super vulnerable, to be honest with me, what can I do better?' Nakase said. 'And they just said, we got to just do a better job fighting. So they took ownership.' The Valkyries return to Chase Center on Thursday night to face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever to begin a five-game homestand. Without a third of their roster, the Valkyries have some winnable games upcoming against teams at the bottom of the standings like Connecticut and Chicago. But Dallas should have been one of those winnable games, too. 'These are things that we can control,' Thornton said. 'Our effort has to be there offensively to go in and get those boards. We just got to go back and look at it and bounce back.'
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Valkyries' Kaitlyn Chen brings ‘competitive edge' in her second chance with team
ARLINGTON, Texas — Kaitlyn Chen spent most of the past month in her hometown of Los Angeles, watching Golden State Valkyries games and waiting for a call. After being waived at the end of training camp, the team told her she might get another shot in the near future. Impressed by her high basketball IQ and tenacious defense, head coach Natalie Nakase knew that the third-round pick out of UConn would be one of her top choices to reinforce the roster when players left for EuroBasket. Chen is quickly validating that belief after rejoining the team this week. 'She showed such a competitive edge,' Nakase said on Tuesday. 'She remembered everything from camp, which is funny, because obviously we've tweaked a couple of things, so it's good that I could just show her things, or just talk about things on the fly, and she can pick things up just like that.' Chen, along with forward Chloe Bibby, are helping fill the void while four Valkyries participate in EuroBasket. They are the third and fourth new players to arrive in the past week-plus after forward Laeticia Amihere — who like Chen was on the Valkyries' preseason roster — and guard Aerial Powers. Golden State entered Tuesday's game in Dallas on a three-game winning streak after defeating Seattle at home on Saturday. They were without point guard Julie Vanloo (Belgium) and forwards Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy) and Janelle Salaün (France) in that victory. Starting center Temi Fagbenle (United Kingdom) left right before the team headed to Texas to face the Wings. Her departure meant Tuesday's game would feature the seventh unique starting lineup in 11 contests. The extra roster space allowed the Valkyries to give Chen another chance to make her WNBA debut. Chen, who was coming off a national title with the Huskies a week before she was drafted by Golden State, quickly became a fan favorite. Her jersey was the sixth best-selling in the WNBA, and her shirt is still sold in the Valkyries team store. Chen appeared in both preseason games for the Valkyries. The 23-year-old also participated in several Valkyries promotions during the preseason, leading to fan backlash after she got cut. Some social media users accused the Valkyries of 'using' Chen's popularity for sales despite not keeping her on the roster. Chen, the first Taiwanese American drafted into the WNBA, understood the process. Just two third-rounders made teams this year. She signed with the FIBA 3-on-3 league, 3XBA, in early June but remained hopeful for another stint in the WNBA. 'I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to be back here,' she said at Tuesday's shoot-around. 'I thought the experience I had at camp was great. I feel like I learned a lot there, and I feel like that helped prepare me for coming back and playing in the WNBA.' Tuesday was also a reunion for Chen and her Huskies teammate, Paige Bueckers, who was this year's first overall pick to Dallas. The duo worked together in the backcourt to lead UConn to its first national championship since 2016. Chen said she spoke with Bueckers before joining the Valkyries on the way to Dallas. She and other members of the 2024-25 Huskies also attended a Dallas game in Connecticut on May 27. 'Paige is such a great friend,' Chen said. 'She's someone that I can always count on, and someone that I know is always going to be there for me.' Said Bueckers on Tuesday: 'It feels just like yesterday that we were playing together and suiting up together on this in the same end. So it'll be weird, it'll be different, but I'm extremely happy for her to get this opportunity, it'll be good for her. Being here now it's like full circle.' little Kaitlyn Paige moment pregame [image or embed] — Marisa Ingemi (@ June 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma told reporters in Connecticut on Monday that Chen is the 'kind of player that every really, really good team has.' 'She deserves to be in the league,' he said. 'She deserves to be playing professional basketball. So I'm thrilled for her.' Chen will likely be the last player off the bench for a Valkyries team that started two point guards, Veronica Burton and Carla Leite, against Seattle. Kate Martin and Powers are ahead of her on the depth chart. She should get at least a couple of weeks to make an impact and prove she does belong in the WNBA, even if it's not with Golden State long term. All four signees are on contracts for the rest of the season but can be released when EuroBasket players return, or at any point. The Valkyries 'have looked so good,' Chen said. 'They play really well together. They're super unselfish, and I feel like that's the best way to play, that's what I try to do as a player, I feel like I'm pretty unselfish and always looking for what's best for the team, so I think that's why I'm back here.' Hayes on the mend: Guard Tiffany Hayes has warmed up for every Valkyries game over the past two weeks, even though she knew she wouldn't play in them due to a nose injury. Since being a game-time decision against Minnesota on June 1, she has been listed as out before game day even rolls around. Nakase said that Hayes told her she was closer to being ready before the team departed for Dallas, upgrading her to questionable status. 'We've had her do a lot of scrimmaging,' Nakase said. 'Just putting her in some actions to make her feel comfortable, and she said she felt ready (for games). It's really been up to her.' The veteran guard hasn't played after getting hit in the face in that Lynx contest at the start of the month. That was her first game back from an initial nose injury suffered on May 21 against Washington. 'I've had to stay mentally focused,' Hayes said on Tuesday. 'I'm meditating, leaning into people who give me the energy I need. But it's fun to watch this team and the grit and grind they put into every game.'
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
How to watch Liberty at Storm: Breanna Stewart returns to Seattle in heavyweight clash
Breanna Stewart returns to Seattle with the defending WNBA champions in tow. It's not her first time back at Climate Pledge Arena, but the hardwood still hums with memory. She won two titles here. And when she glides into open space, the court meets her like it remembers. Will Sunday's clash with the Storm end up another happy memory for Stewart? Or will Seattle play spoiler, as it has already this season? Advertisement The Liberty, now 10-2 after a midweek stumble against the Phoenix Mercury, remain elite on offense and defense, ranking first in scoring and second in points allowed heading into the weekend. Following their second loss in three games, though, this is a recalibration game for a team still chasing its ceiling. New York averages 89.1 points per game, and Stewart remains the anchor with a team-high 21.1 points. Sabrina Ionescu is right behind her at 20.4 points per game and is riding a scoring surge, with back-to-back 34-point performances on June 14 and 17. There's also Natasha Cloud, brought in to replace Courtney Vandersloot. The veteran guard quietly ranks among the league's top facilitators with 6.3 assists. Former WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones will be out at least a month after aggravating an ankle injury against the Mercury. While she's sidelined, expect Nyara Sabally to see extended run as the team's fifth starter. Meanwhile, Seattle enters at third place in the Western Conference, with Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike leading the way. Both average over 17 points and spearhead an offense that shares the ball well, thrives in transition and scores at an incredibly efficient rate. Gabby Williams, who set a franchise record with eight steals earlier this week, is also averaging a career-high mark in points per game (14.4). She left early in the Storm's lopsided win over the Los Angeles Sparks after turning an ankle, but she came up huge in a win against the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night with 18 points and 12 boards — the first double-double of her career. Elsewhere on defense, Ezi Magbegor continues to protect the paint with 2.1 blocks per game. If the Liberty set the rhythm and control their spacing, they'll likely be on pace for a big win on the road. However, if Seattle turns defense into offense, it could go down to the wire. Prediction? Liberty by five. Stewart steadies, Cloud closes and New York sharpens its edge. Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Breanna Stewart and Ezi Magbegor: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
