WNBA tips and odds for Wednesday

Only the Minnesota Lynx (10) have won more WNBA games since the All-Star/Olympic break than the Indiana Fever (eight).

After a terrible 1-8 start, Indiana is now 19-17 and is seeded sixth for the upcoming playoffs.

Indiana has shown that it can beat the league’s top teams in a single day with wins over Minnesota, New York and Connecticut.

On Wednesday night, the Fever hope to add Las Vegas to that list.

The Aces won the previous two home games and comfortably covered both double-digit point differences.

The last time the two teams met, Vegas went into the game as favorites with a 13-point lead, but now they are only two points ahead on the road.

While it’s possible that bookmakers have drastically revised Indiana’s performance rating upward, a better explanation for the point difference could be the condition of A’ja Wilson’s right ankle.

The two-time MVP missed her first game in three years and her participation against the Fever will not be decided until shortly before the start of the game.

Given their uncertainty, the Aces will likely show vulnerability early in the first quarter of the game.

Aces vs. Fever odds

Outlook for the Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas saw its net rating drop by about 10 points (from 15.3 to 5.5) compared to last season.

There was a significant shift within the league, with the top four defensive teams allowing between 94.5 and 95.8 points per 100 possessions, compared to 2023, when the top four teams had values ​​between 97.7 and 100.0.

Las Vegas was the team that led the league in defensive efficiency last year, but now it’s not even in the top four.

Although defenses are improving across the league, Las Vegas isn’t scoring as well as it once did and can’t keep up with the better defensive teams.

Indiana (103.8) has shown an electrifying performance on offense and is only behind Liberty (106.7) and Aces (105.6) in efficiency.

However, when the Fever play at home, their offensive rating rises to 106.2, which is the second-best in the W.

Indiana Fever Outlook

While there was a lot of criticism surrounding the Fever’s launch, critics often failed to mention the brutal schedule the team faced.

Indiana played seven games against Sun, Liberty, Storm and Aces to begin the season.

For Caitlin Clark, the Fever’s rookie point guard, it was a steep learning curve as she had to get used to the physicality of the league.

Still, those early struggles may have been the best thing for Clark’s development and his respect around the league.

Given all the WNBA records she either broke or set in her first year, no one can deny her quality:

• Most assists in a WNBA game (19)
• Most assists by a rookie in an All-Star game (10)
• Fastest player to reach 400 points and 200 assists
• First rookie to score a triple-double
• Three-point shots by a rookie in a season

With four games left in the regular season, Clark can still improve her success, as she is only 52 points away from breaking the rookie points record (744 points) set by Seimone Augustus in 2006.

Clark’s threat from distance and her ability to create easy scoring opportunities for her teammates have led to Indiana having the best effective field goal percentage in the league at 52.1%.

Aces vs. Fever Selection

There is a great excitement every time Clark steps on the field, and that excitement is especially great in front of her home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Aces embarrassed the Fever in their two home games, but Indiana is a completely different team than the one they faced earlier in the season.

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In the first quarter, Indiana ranks 10th with a net rating of -7.1. In home games, however, the number rises to +7.5 with an offensive efficiency of 109.2, placing it just behind New York.

When Indiana lost both games to the Aces, it was up by four points in one quarter after the first and only trailing by two points in the other quarter.

The real question is whether Indiana can put together four good quarters against Las Vegas.

Still, there’s a good chance Indiana will get off to a quick start, especially if Wilson doesn’t play.

Best bet: Fever Q1 Moneyline (+104, FanDuel)