Indiana Fever vs. LA Sparks Preview: WNBA Betting Odds, Prediction
Indiana dropped a fascinating 107-104 decision to the Dallas Wings on Friday, the first WNBA season opener ever in which both teams tallied 100 or more points.
Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 30 points on 11 of 22 shooting, Caitlin Clark had 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, and Aliyah Boston added 23 points.
The Sparks were spanked by the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, 105-78. Kelsey Plum had 27 points, and Nneka Ogwumike added 19 points and 10 rebounds in her return to Los Angeles after two seasons in Seattle.
Indiana Fever vs. Los Angeles Sparks WNBA Odds and Betting Trends
On this week’s WNBA odds, Indiana is a slight 1.5-point favourite at -130 on the moneyline. Los Angeles is at +110.
The over/under for this contest is 184. The Sparks took three of four from Indiana last season, splitting the two games in Los Angeles.
Indiana Fever
The Fever were third in the WNBA last season in scoring, averaging 84.9 points per game. They were eighth in the league in scoring defence, allowing 81.5 points per game. Both of those tendencies again displayed themselves in the season opener.
Indiana’s 104 points are proof of the firepower the team has on offence, but the Fever allowed Dallas to put up a 120.2 offensive rating. That just won’t do.
Clark, who averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 assists in just 13 games while battling injuries last season, had a strong debut, but she still turned the ball over five times. McKayla Timpson, a second-round pick who played sparingly last season as a rookie, scored a career-high 11 points off the bench.
Monique Billings, expected to provide depth after arriving from Golden State, sat out the opener with an ankle injury, but she is available this evening.
Los Angeles Sparks
Yes, it was the Aces, but a 27-point setback on opening night had to be deflating for the Sparks, who allowed a WNBA-worst 88.2 points per game last season.
The team was also second in the league offensively with 85.7 points per game a year ago, but other than Plum and Ogwumike, it did not show on Sunday.
Dearica Hamby averaged 18.4 points per game for the Sparks last season, but she had just 12 on 4 of 11 shooting on Sunday. Two veterans acquired by the Sparks in the offseason, Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler, needed to put an APB out on their jumpshot after Sunday’s performance.
Atkins had just 8 points on three-of-12 shooting, including an 0-for-6 day from three-point land. Meanwhile, Wheeler had 2 points on one-of-11 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench. Both will certainly be better this season, but it was an inauspicious start.
Plum, who has made four straight All-Star games, and Ogwumike, an All-Star and second-team ALL-WNBA selection last season with Seattle, already looked in mid-season form.
Sania Feagin, a second-year reserve out of South Carolina, is out tonight with a leg injury.
WNBA Prediction: Who will win Fever vs. Sparks?
This should be a high-scoring affair between two squads lacking in defence. Los Angeles allowed 55 points to Las Vegas’ trio of A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young. How much will the Sparks concede to Mitchell, Boston, and Clark?
Look for Indiana to pick up its first win of the season with a 96-91 victory over Los Angeles.