With the end of the WNBA 2025 regular season in sight, numerous showdowns on Tuesday’s five-game slate feature critical playoff implications. One such instance involves the playoff-bubbling Seattle Storm hosting the Golden State Valkyries. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET from Climate Pledge Arena.
The Storm (22-21), who have lost two straight, have another opportunity to clinch a playoff berth Tuesday with a victory over Golden State. They are coming off an 84-76 home loss to the New York Liberty in which they squandered a 47-39 halftime lead as the Liberty closed with a 25-16 edge in the fourth quarter.
“We need to come out and compete. If we don’t do that, we don’t belong in the playoffs,” Storm guard Skylar Diggins told the media following the loss to New York.
Seattle currently sits 1.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks (20-22) for the final WNBA playoff spot. Golden State (23-19) has already clinched a postseason berth and currently sits as the No. 6 seed but saw a five-game winning streak snapped in a 78-72 home loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
Seattle is a 6.5-point favorite, and the Over/Under for total points scored is 152 in the latest WNBA sportsbook odds for Valkyries vs. Storm.
In addition to the five-game WNBA card, the sporting landscape Tuesday also features a full MLB slate, and we’ll look ahead to the compelling NFL Week 2 matchup between the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers. Below is a preview of top sporting events to watch Tuesday, Sept. 9.
WNBA best bets today, where to watch
Valkyries at Storm
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Seattle | TV: WNBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Expert: Valkyries +6.5 (Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai)
SportsLine’s WNBA expert tandem of Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai say they love the matchup edge for Golden State. They note the Valkyries have limited Seattle’s efficiency with a packed-in defense that cuts off the options for a Seattle team that thrives off creating dribble-drive opportunities but is a weak perimeter-shooting team. They note the Valkyries have had the edge in this series, going 2-1 against the Storm and outscoring Seattle by 22 points across those three games.
MLB best bets today, where to watch
Astros at Blue Jays
Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: Toronto TV: SNET and SCHN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 8.5 runs | Expert: Yordan Alvarez to homer +425 (Jake Fetner)
The SportsLine Projection Model has a moderate lean toward the Blue Jays (-155) to win, but its favorite position on this game is the Over 8.5 runs. The model’s 10,000-game simulation sees the Over hitting around 60.5% of the time, a major value versus the implied sportsbook odds of around 52%. The simulations project a score of 5.3-4.4 in Toronto’s favor.
SportsLine MLB expert Jake Fetner (+507, last six MLB player prop picks) is going with a lucrative price on a prop for Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez to hit a home run. He notes Alvarez has a trio of three-hit games in his last five outings and has homered in two of his past four games.
More MLB best bets
Looking ahead: Commanders at Packers
Time: 8:15 p.m., Thursday | Location: Green Bay | TV: Prime Video
SportsLine picks — Model: Packers -3.5 | Expert: Commanders +3.5 (R.J. White)
The first week of the 2025 NFL season produced numerous storylines, with the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders grabbing their deserved share of the headlines. Now, they clash in a compelling Week 2 Thursday night matchup.
The Packers (1-0), who moved to the betting favorites to win the NFC North upon the blockbuster trade acquisition of rugged defender Micah Parsons, lived up to that billing with a 27-13 rout of the rival Detroit Lions. The Commanders (1-0), who were last year’s breakout team as then-rookie quarterback Jayden Danields led them to the NFC title game, picked up where they left off with an unspectacular but dominant 21-6 victory over the New York Giants.
The early action on this NFC showdown already has drawn diverse opinions. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the Packers rolling to a 30-21 victory and already has released an A-rated pick on the home favorite. However, top-rated SportsLine NFL analyst R.J. White (+1235 last 17 NFL picks) likes the underdog, citing injury concerns for Green Bay’s offensive line as well as for receivers Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed.