Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun Odds, Prediction, and Betting Tips
Fever vs. Sun WNBA Odds
| Indiana Odds | +6.5 |
| Connecticut Odds | -6.5 |
| Over/Under | 167.5 |
| Date | Tue, May 14 |
| Time | 7:30 PM ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
Tonight, the WNBA regular season returns with a 4-game slate, including the highly-anticipated debut of Caitlin Clark. Clark and the Indiana Fever will travel to play the Connecticut Sun, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2, ESPN+, and Disney+.
Ahead of the action this evening, Connecticut is listed as a 6.5-point favorite over Indiana. The total for this contest is set at over/under 167.5 points.
Below, we break down the matchup for both teams and offer a free WNBA pick for the betting community!
Indiana Fever Preview
What to expect from Caitlin Clark in her debut
Caitlin Clark took women’s basketball by storm during her tenure at Iowa, culminating with a trip to the National Championship earlier this summer in Cleveland. Her ability to make long-range shots, paired with elite passing skills and a fun “improv” style of play, make her one of the most exciting prospects to enter the WNBA in recent memory.
However, there are still likely to be growing pains during her transition to playing against professional athletes on a consistent basis. In 2 preseason games, Clark averaged 5.5 turnovers and didn’t shoot over 40% from the field in either contest.
It’s also worth noting that Clark is playing with an improved supporting cast in the WNBA, compared to her teammates at Iowa. Indiana also has reigning Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston, who averaged 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season. NaLyssa Smith, a former #2 overall pick in 2022, also averaged 15.5 points per game last season. Simply, Clark won’t need to resort to hero-ball for the Fever in the same way that she often did at Iowa.
Fever hope to make postseason for the first time since 2016
Last season, the Fever finished with the 3rd-worst record in the WNBA, marking their 7th consecutive losing season. For context of how bad things have been in recent seasons for this group, the franchise is 30-100 since the beginning of 2020.
However, the addition of Clark plus Celeste Taylor in April’s draft give Indiana legitimate hope heading into the new campaign. At a minimum, this is a team that should be extremely entertaining to watch. The Fever finished 5th in offensive rating in 2023 and should only improve with Clark in the mix. The defensive end of the floor is where this team will determine their level of seriousness in 2024, as they are coming off of a year in which only Phoenix allowed more points per 100 possessions.
Connecticut Sun Preview
Sun hope to join WNBA elite in 2024
Last season, Connecticut was arguably the best team in the WNBA outside of the juggernaut Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty – the two teams that met in the Finals.
Connecticut was particularly good at home, where they went 13-7 overall with a +6.0 Net Rating, which was 3rd best in the league. They were one of only four teams in the WNBA last season to allow fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions on their home floor.
Their success was driven, in large part, by eliminating the perimeter for their opponents, allowing a league-low 19.7 3-point attempts per game and holding their opponents to 33.5% on such attempts.
After a promising influx of talent in this year’s draft, Connecticut is hoping to take the next step in 2024.
Alyssa Thomas looking to make early season impact
Alyssa Thomas has consistently improved as a facilitator in recent seasons, averaging a career-high 7.9 assists per game in 2023, which trailed only Courtney Vandersloot, who led the WNBA.
Thomas’ passing skills were on full display in Connecticut’s lone preseason contest, dishing out 7 assists in merely 19 minutes of action. In an efficient offense with capable shooters surrounding her, Thomas could threaten to lead the WNBA in assists per game this season.
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- Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun Prediction
There will be a lot of talk early this season about Caitlin Clark and the potentially high-powered Fever offense, but a lot of those conversations will leave out the fact that this is going to be an offense that struggles to take care of the basketball. Indiana had the 3rd-highest turnover rate in the WNBA last season and didn’t appear to clean up those issues during this year’s preseason, committing 37 turnovers across 2 games.
Connecticut was one of the better defensive teams in the WNBA last season, particularly at home, where they ranked 4th in defensive rating and 10th out of 12 teams in pace. This game could be less “up-and-down” than many people are expecting.
WNBA PICK: Under 167.5 Points (-110), FanDuel Sportsbook
Image Credit: Getty Images