00:00Yes, we cover basketball around these parts, usually it's NCAA action, typically it's the
00:07NBA in the playoffs, but boy, we got to focus, we got to get right here for the WNBA season,
00:12which takes place all summer long and quite frankly, has been some very good betting markets
00:17so far.
00:18It's on the right side, Ben Stevens, the two foremost handicappers on this network, which
00:22now includes and features WNBA action, which last night saw the sun on the road, improved
00:27to 3-0 with an 88-84 victory over the Fever, who dropped to 0-4.
00:33Kaitlin Clark getting better with each performance, Pops was in the stands yesterday, not happy
00:38with the loss, but we're getting closer and closer, it seems like, to that Fever's first
00:42win year, Ben.
00:43Listen, Indiana is starting to figure some things out, we'll talk about the Fever in
00:48just a moment and make the point that we shared just a week ago, with all the hype and optimism
00:53around Kaitlin Clark's WNBA debut, the start of this W season, just a week old, and what
00:59the outlook is for Indiana.
01:02But we go to Connecticut, who the Fever have played twice, they've also played the Liberty
01:07twice.
01:08New York made the WNBA finals, coming up short against the Aces, Connecticut was the only
01:12other team to win more than 25 games last year, that was the sun.
01:17It has been a grueling start to this season for Indiana.
01:21Home and home, virtually, versus Connecticut and New York.
01:24So yes, being 0-4 does not look great from the win-loss perspective, but it does explain
01:29the start to this year.
01:31And the Sun are going to be back to that Pantheon of which we saw them at last year, especially
01:36if Alyssa Thomas and Dawana Bonner continue to play the way they are right now.
01:41Bonner, 22 points last night, a clutch go-ahead bucket late, that was the game-winning shot
01:47for Connecticut.
01:48And Alyssa Thomas is the do-it-all each and every game.
01:53One assist shy of her second triple-double of this season already, both coming perhaps
02:00against Indiana.
02:01But again, only nine dimes last night.
02:03Did finish with a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds, playing 40 minutes for the Sun
02:10last night.
02:11Connecticut is very, very good.
02:14But they were a six-point favorite on the road in Indiana.
02:19The Fever cover that number.
02:20A total of 163.5 does go over because the Fever are starting to find their footing.
02:26And that is also a storyline here for Indiana DRS.
02:30They have now covered in two straight games against New York and Connecticut, despite
02:34dropping their first four to start this year.
02:36It was going to take some time in Indianapolis, but the Fever are starting to round into form
02:42ever so slightly.
02:43Yeah, and by the way, take a look at the game yesterday.
02:46Again, typical.
02:47You know me, Ben.
02:48I love a good box score.
02:4940% on the road shooting for the Connecticut Sun.
02:50The Indiana Fever at home, 48%.
02:53Three-point shooting on the road for the Sun, 21%.
02:56At home for the Fever, 30%.
02:58Free throw shooting, 80% on one side, 92% on the other side.
03:01But again, 24 of 30 for 80%, much better than 12 of 13 for 92.2%.
03:08But the focus, as always, is going to be on Kaitlyn Clark.
03:1027 minutes played, 5 of 11 from the field, which included 3 of 7 from three-point land.
03:16Three boards, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers.
03:18And minus 18 in that game, and 17 total points.
03:22So as we look at her seasonal averages here, 17, 5.5, 4.
03:25But averaging 6.5 turnovers per game, that's going to have to get a little bit lower.
03:30But I do think if you're watching the game-by-game process for both her and also her team, you
03:34could see it starting to come together.
03:36There's no more butterflies after, oh, this is my first professional game going up against
03:40quality basketball teams.
03:41I believe those numbers will get even more efficient as we go, and also the winds will
03:45start to come for the Fever.
03:47In your opinion, looking at Kaitlyn Clark, again, it's a short sample size.
03:50From game one to game four, what have we seen in your eyes, Ben?
03:55We have seen Kaitlyn Clark start to play more like Kaitlyn Clark in her ability in this
03:59Indiana offense to orchestrate things.
04:02There have been some confusion, I think, that has led to some of these turnovers.
04:07We saw it on display last night.
04:09I even tweeted it out.
04:10Part of the bread and butter of what Kaitlyn Clark does better than anybody else in women's
04:14basketball, at least at the collegiate level, is lead in transition.
04:18In the bigs at Iowa, would get out and run, understanding how their point guard likes
04:22to play.
04:23There has been that adjustment period now for the Fever, leading to some of those turnovers.
04:29Her role in this offense starting to pick up as well.
04:32We got a report from ESPN's Holly Rowe, who was the sideline reporter last night in Indy,
04:37saying that she spoke to Kaitlyn prior to this game last night against the Sun.
04:42And Kaitlyn said in the first few games of her WNBA career, she was feeling things out.
04:47She wanted to be respectful of her teammates who had been in that franchise and the organization
04:51for longer.
04:52Ahead of game number three against New York in Brooklyn on Saturday, she just started
04:57to play like herself again.
04:59And you see those results.
05:00Only 27 minutes last night.
05:02Because of an injury to her ankle that she suffered late in the opening half, of course
05:06she did return.
05:07But 17 points, hit 3-3, she is going to continue to fire from deep.
05:13And Donnie, I said this about Indiana overall.
05:15Kaitlyn Cork will be fine.
05:17The Fever will be fine.
05:19They have started their season, all four games, against the second and third best teams in
05:23the WNBA a season ago.
05:27Indiana, entering this year, seven consecutive seasons of a losing record.
05:32Only twice in that seven-season span had the Fever even won double-digit regular season
05:38games.
05:39So the expectation that they're a surefire 20-win team in this 40-game WNBA season, where
05:45they are going to be one of the top eight to make the playoffs, large and lofty expectations
05:50for a team in Indy that has not seen that level of success in a very long time.
05:57Once the Fever's schedule starts to slow down ever so slightly, that's when we'll get
06:02a true picture of what Indiana and Kaitlyn Cork are able to accomplish this season.
06:08We had a double-header last night in the WNBA.
06:11Second game of that double-header was the Storm and the Liberty.
06:13The Liberty improved to 4-0 in a lower scoring tilt, 74-63, over the Storm, who dropped them
06:18to 1-3.
06:20Branagh Stewart in that game, 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists.
06:23The Liberty looks like they're back on course here for yet a possible run at a WNBA championship.
06:28Yeah, so Branagh, you can ask you, great last night as well, 20 points and 8 dimes.
06:34And Jonquil Jones has been a revelation, one of the key additions to this New York team
06:38that really highlights what they can do in the frontcourt alongside Stewie.
06:43She is the vet.
06:4428 minutes last night, 16 points and 8 rebounds as well.
06:48So the Liberty off to a perfect 4-0 start.
06:51But they were a 13-point favorite, did not cover.
06:54Total of 166, stays well under.
06:57New York hasn't covered in three of their first four games yet, despite the perfect
07:024-0 start.
07:04The Libs are going to be just fine.
07:06I think the story, actually, Donny, is with the Storm.
07:09Seattle has the third-best price to win the WNBA championship, well behind both the Aces
07:14and the Liberty at this moment.
07:16But Seattle was supposed to be a team that really elevated its game this offseason.
07:22Not only the NBA's leading scorer in Jewel Lloyd, but they add Skylar Diggins-Smith and
07:26Nneka Agumake.
07:27It's been a slow start for Seattle, and their lottery draft pick in Nneka Mule, an outstanding
07:33defender from Connecticut, due to visa issues, hasn't played just yet.
07:38Or maybe last night was her debut for Seattle.
07:42No, she was not in the lineup last night.
07:44So a slow start for Seattle to figure things out, which leads the All-Rest to the WNBA
07:50title odds, where it's still the Aces and the Liberty.
07:53Las Vegas off to a perfect start, 60 cents in front of New York.
07:57Really for me, there's that tier of two.
08:00But I think it's Las Vegas and everybody else, New York even behind, as you start to look
08:04at those WNBA championship odds.
08:06And I would still put Connecticut in front of Seattle.
08:09The Sun looked great.
08:10Alyssa Thomas playing at an elite level, and Dawana Bonner continues to score.
08:15I put Connecticut in front of Seattle.
08:18And by the way, take a look at the MVP odds.
08:20We used to see in the top three there, Kaitlyn Clark at around an 11-1 or so price.
08:24Now we see Wilson, Thomas, and Stewart as the new top three.
08:28Look, it was always protecting themselves through the sportsbooks, a la Tiger Woods in
08:32a PGA championship, where people are always going to bet that point.
08:35But now we're seeing the superstars rise to the occasion.
08:38Wilson at a minus 110 price after just a few games into the season, that's pretty incredible.
08:43Absolutely so, and Asia Wilson was the rightful WNBA MVP favorite, as we shared, by the way,
08:50the Las Vegas Aces and Asia Wilson, a 14.5 point home favorite tonight against the Phoenix
08:56Mercury with a total of 173.5.
09:00Difficult place to play and win, DRS, to walk out with a victory if you're the road team
09:05inside the Michelob Ultra Arena on the Strip in Sin City.
