No Las Vegas, no New York, yet the WNBA Finals handle still beats 2022

This isn't the WNBA Finals matchup many expected or probably even wanted, and the lack of betting interest is indicative of that.

But it's also worth putting in perspective that the Atlanta-Golden State best-of-seven series that begins Saturday in San Francisco is attracting more betting action than a Finals matchup would have not that long ago.

“With the boom in WNBA really starting with kind of the Caitlin Clark thing, while it hasn’t continued to boom, that floor has risen significantly,” BetMGM Sportsbook trader Christian Cipollini said. “We are still taking a lot more bets today than we did in 2022. So there is still a lot of action here, still a lot of interest. But these were two teams that weren’t really expected from a bettor's lens to be here.”

There almost certainly would have been more betting interest if Las Vegas and New York — which have combined to win the past four WNBA championships — had instead met. Both teams are filled with stars, including A'ja Wilson with the Aces and Breanna Stewart with the Liberty.

But both teams were swept in the semifinals, and now the Valkyries or Dream will win their first title. Atlanta has been close, reaching the Finals three times, most recently in 2013. Golden State is in just its second season, way ahead of what most observers would have predicted.

“I think there is virtually no interest with these two teams,” longtime handicapper Dana Lane said. “If Vegas was in it, New York was in, maybe, New York’s such a massive betting market.”

Sports betting is not legal in California or Georgia, so that limits much of the betting interest.

“I'll have to look at where the numbers end up actually shaking out, but it’s pretty safe to say that if we would have gotten Vegas-New York, our handle would be much higher," Cipollini said. “There’s two factors that go to that. Golden State is still a new team. It takes time to build a (national) fan base. And the Atlanta Dream are also a team that wasn’t expected to be here and another one I wouldn't say has a huge, huge fan base."

The Valkyries are -115 favorites to win the series, but the Dream are behind at -105.

A Golden State victory would be a “very small winner” for BetMGM.

“I could see over the course of the next week if we keep getting bets, that turns to essentially a break even,” Cipollini said. “Atlanta Dream would be the one that we would want to win right now.”

Lane said he has a hard time seeing the Valkyries lose because of their depth and home-court advantage. Golden State possesses perhaps the league's most intimidating atmosphere at “Ballhalla”, and Lane said he could see this going six games or even fewer.

“I think that Golden State looked at Vegas as a much bigger threat than anything that was going to come out of the East," Lane said. “So it’s going to be interesting how they refocus. Certainly, they’ve had plenty of time. If they win Game One, I think this series is maybe even five.”

There's an adage that life is too short to bet the under, but professionals often find more value in that.

And given this is a series between the league's two best teams in defensive scoring efficiency, the total of 154 1/2 at BetMGM for the opener reflects that. They're the only teams to allow less than a point per possession.

But Lane said be careful about assuming the under is going to come in.

“Golden State is certainly going to want to push tempo,” Lane said. “But defensively, they're both obviously outstanding teams.”

Both teams last played a week ago, so the layoff could affect their momentum from advancing to the Finals, but it's a problem each shares.

“I think it's a plus for both teams," Lane said. "They can get healthy and really hone in on what they want to do against each other.”

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) and Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) react after their team defeated the New York Liberty in Game 3 of the WNBA basketball semifinals, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Golden State Valkyries players gather to celebrate teammate Gabby Williams's (1) 2-point basket in the final seconds of overtime as the team defeated the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of the WNBA basketball semifinals Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV’s recovery from lung surgery has progressed so normally that the Vatican on Friday stopped providing morning updates confirming he had woken up and had breakfast, even as questions continued about what his cancer means for the future of his young pontificate.

In the near term, Vatican officials were gaming out possible scenarios for Leo to recite the traditional Sunday noontime Angelus prayer. Vatican media personnel were seen at the Gemelli hospital laying cables for a possible live broadcast, as past popes have done when hospitalized.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said a recitation of the noontime prayer on Sunday from the hospital was a possibility, but would depend on how Leo’s post-operative recovery progresses. Such appearances have often served as a welcome confirmation of a hospitalized pope's well-being for the 1.4-billion strong Catholic faithful and others.

Parolin said he remained concerned about the pope, but indicated that was also a function of his surprise at learning that Leo needed surgery.

“We can’t make any type of predictions,” Parolin said Thursday on the sidelines of a diplomatic event, according to the LaPresse and ANSA news agencies. “The question now is when he will return, under what circumstances he will return, and what the doctors say. And based on all these factors, the pope will then adjust his pontificate, if it needs to be adjusted,” he was quoted as saying.

The 71-year-old Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

On Thursday, the American pope resumed working from his hospital room and met with his chief of staff, while continuing with respiratory exercises. His doctors said overall his recovery was proceeding as expected.

Doctors are still awaiting the results of tests to understand the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether any further treatment is necessary.

AP visual journalist Trisha Thomas contributed.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A woman holds photos of Pope Leo XIV as she prays at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The moon rises behind the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Leo XIV is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he's expected to be operated to remove a lung nodule. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)