The Indiana Fever continue to command the headlines.
Caitlin Clark is the world’s most popular women’s basketball player, Sophie Cunningham generates buzz with various antics, and now their coach is criticizing officials.
In its last game on Tuesday, Indy lost as a 9.5-point home favorite over the Dallas Wings, thanks to allowing a 19-0 run in the second half.
Coach Stephanie White argued that All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston are not officiated fairly and encounter too much contact without a whistle.
The Fever host the Washington Mystics on Friday as 7.5-point favorites with a total of 161.5 points.
Clark remains out, and now other injuries have relegated Indiana to a third-string point guard, as they recently signed Odyssey Sims. That has forced White to ask Mitchell and Cunningham to run the offense at times, though they primarily play off the ball.
At the trade deadline, Washington dealt arguably its best player, point guard Brittney Sykes, and the offense has sputtered a bit since. However, I think they found a groove in the second half of their most recent game.
Rookie Sonia Citron is now the offense’s focal point, and she is certainly capable.
She leads the team in scoring with 14.8 ppg and also shoots a respectable 38.6 percent from downtown. She is the team’s future, along with power forward Kiki Iriafen.
Plus, Washington often incorporates a small-ball lineup with Shakira Austin battling injuries and missing the last two games.
Veteran Stefanie Dolson is thrust into the starting lineup, but is a massive defensive liability and thus can only play limited minutes.
Given White’s comments, I expect favorable calls for the Fever, which will lead to free throws and Indiana being in the bonus earlier than usual. That is just sometimes how sports work.
Additionally, the Mystics are more focused on the future than making the postseason so their defense offers minimal resistance. And they will be just fine pushing pace with the Fever, so I anticipate a back-and-forth game.
I have a 60-49-1 ATS record in this Post sports section, and my next official play is the Fever team total Over 84.5 points.
The Play: Fever Team Total Over 84.5 points (-110, BetMGM Sportsbook)
Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.