The Fever have put the WNBA on notice.
Playing without injured star Caitlin Clark, Indiana won the Commissioner’s Cup this week as a double-digit road underdog. It followed that up with an 81-54 win over the Aces.
The Fever are the first team this season to allow fewer than 60 points in consecutive games. This newfound defensive domination has seemingly come out of nowhere.
Experienced sports bettors often predict regression, relying on the larger sample size of the entire season. However, given they began the year with so many moving parts of offseason acquisitions and Clark’s injuries, I am inclined to think this team has found an identity and will continue to outperform the early-season metrics.
The Fever host the Sparks on Saturday as 7.5-point favorites with a total of 162.
The Sparks are unimpressive with the league’s second-worst record at 5-13.
Nevertheless, Los Angeles just won in Indianapolis last week by overcoming a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to win by 10 points. I watched that game, and it felt like a fluke. The Sparks can put together nice runs but all in all, they are a disappointing squad that plays minimal defense.
I expect Indy to have revenge on its mind, but the point spread makes the handicap a bit tricky. Instead, I will opt for a three-leg, same-game parlay that includes Indiana on the moneyline.
The second leg is for Kelsey Mitchell to make at least two 3-pointers. With Clark out, she has embraced the team’s need for her to score and the two-time All-Star has a smooth jumper. Mitchell has made at least three in five straight regular-season games.
And in order to bring the juice down, I will add Kelsey Plum to score at least 10 points. I think the guard is overrated, but she has scored in double figures in every game this season.
Even if she is struggling, she will continue to hoist shots. Given that she is an excellent free throw shooter, Plum should at least stumble into 10 points.
I have a 52-45-1 ATS record in this Post sports section. My next play is a same-game parlay of the Fever moneyline, Mitchell to make at least two 3-pointers and Plum to score at least 10 points.
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.