WNBA · 1 year ago

Caitlin Clark WNBA Best Bets: New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever +283 SGP

Zack Cook

Host · Writer

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are set to kick off their home schedule tonight.

SportsGrid previews the matchup and highlights Clark’s best bets.

Note: All odds and props courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Leg 1: Caitlin Clark OVER 3.5 Made Threes (-198)

The WNBA is a step up from the collegiate ranks, but Caitlin Clark didn’t stop shooting in the opener against Connecticut.
In her final year at Iowa, Clark averaged 5.2 made three-pointers per game.
Clark shot eleven threes in her first game, making four of them.
With the Fever listed as a sizable underdog again, Clark will need to shoot early and often to keep this content close in their home opener.

Clark was a focal point for this offense and their top option in the opener, even in a challenging atmosphere that saw Clark turn the ball over ten times.
Clark played in two preseason games for the Fever, scoring 21 and 12 points. In the opener for Indiana, Clark scored 20 points in 32 minutes of action.
Clark averaged 31.6 points per game during her final year at Iowa.
The WNBA will take some time to adjust, but Clark demonstrated in the opener that she’s not afraid to be a volume shooter. Once she makes adjustments to the league, the shots will start falling at a higher clip.

It wasn’t interesting to watch Connecticut’s physicality toward Clark in her professional game. Will that be a common theme for teams looking to make her work for her buckets?
Clark didn’t manage to pick up a rebound in her opening matchup, scoring 20 points, three assists, and two steals.
Throughout her final season at Iowa, Clark averaged 7.4 rebounds per game. It’s not as if she’s known as a physical presence, meaning her first result is likely more of an outlier.
The plus-money this number presents is strong, and we shouldn’t read too much into a lackluster opening showing from a rebound standpoint.