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The LA Sparks will be visiting the expansion team Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday to continue their preseason campaign ahead of the 2025 WNBA regular season. The two rebuilding squads are looking to fine-tune their players for a 40-game gauntlet in this year’s regular season.
The game will be the Sparks’ first test with two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum, whom they added during the offseason from the Las Vegas Aces. Meanwhile, the Valkyries will be testing the waters with their first-ever roster following an expansion draft in the offseason.
The Sparks finished last season with the worst record in the league with eight wins against 32 losses, while the Valkyries will be entering this year as their first-ever test in the WNBA.
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Here is the preview of Tuesday’s matchup between the two California squads set at 7:00 p.m. PT inside Chase Center in San Francisco.
LA Sparks vs Golden State Valkyries: Preseason Preview
Playing only their first season as a squad, the Valkyries are entering the season with many question marks. The team’s go-to players remained a question ahead of the game, but the team boasts some promising players on their roster such as Kate Martin, Kaitlyn Chen and Temi Fagbenle.
Meanwhile, the Sparks will be looking to showcase the improvement of incoming sophomore Rickea Jackson, who had a promising rookie season last year with averages of 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Plum is also expected to be a revelation for the Sparks, as she has continued to be a valuable piece for every team she has played for. Last season, she put up 17.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 4.2 apg but failed to pick up the Las Vegas Aces’ third straight WNBA championship.
According to ESPN’s Futures, the Valkyries have the worst odds to win this year’s WNBA title with +20000, while the Sparks currently have the sixth-best odds with +4000.
LA Sparks vs Golden State Valkyries: Prediction
The LA Sparks not only boast superior players but also a long history of competing in the WNBA. Meanwhile, the Golden State Valkyries are only playing their first-ever game as a franchise.
With great intrigue on the new-look Sparks, expect the LA team to secure a dominant victory against the debuting Valkyries. Expect a 30-point blowout win for the Sparks over Golden State.
