Every day of the WNBA season, our team of fantasy and betting experts breaks down each game on the whiteboard, taking note of everything from injuries and roster changes to recent trends and more.
All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. The times are ET.
Here’s what to look for during today’s whiteboard:
Seattle Storm in Indiana Fever
7:00 p.m., Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Line: Storm (-8)
money line: Storm (-650), Fever (+460)
Total: 158.5 points
BPI Earning %: Storm (70.2%)
Questionable: Victoria Vivians (shoulder), Lexie Hull
Discarded: Queen Egbo
Fantasy needs to know: Tina Charles continues to slowly settle into her new role off the bench with Storm. She has averaged 16.7 MPG, 5.0 PPG, and 5.0 RPG across three games. It’s unclear what her long-term role will be, but she likely won’t see any more minutes until after the All Star Break. Ezi Magbegor has seen his rating drop to 7.3 PPG since Charles’ arrival, but he has flourished defensively posting 7.3 RPG and 2.7 BPG on 24.3 MPG in her last three starts.
While NaLyssa Smith is having a Rookie of the Year caliber season, she enters the All Star Break with a bit of a slump. Smith has scored in single figures in three of her last four games and averaged 7.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.3 SPG and 0.3 3PG in those three outings. Victoria Vivians missed Friday’s game with a shoulder injury. While she is listed as questionable for Tuesday, this will be Indiana’s last game before the All Star Break, and the bye week would presumably give her more opportunities to get healthier. Lexie Hull started for Vivians on Friday, but she, too, is questionable to play Tuesday with a wrist injury. The Egbo Queen is out after entering the Health and Safety Protocols. Emily Engstler (75.1% available) is likely to see an additional race; she averaged 9.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.8 BPG and 0.5 3PG in her four starts earlier this season. — Andre Snellings
Best bet: Storm -10.5
When these two teams met on July 1, the Fever scored just 57 points and that trend should continue tonight. Indiana ranks 11th in offensive rating (95.7). As the youngest team in the league, the Fever don’t have many reliable playmakers, while the Storm ranks first in defensive rating (95.0). Seattle should cover the spread. –Eric Moody
Connecticut Sun at Dallas Wings
8:00 p.m., College Park Center, Arlington
Line: Sun (-6)
money line: Sun (-250), Wings (+205)
Total: 165 points
BPI Earning %: Sun (60.5%)
Discarded: Kiara Smith
Fantasy needs to know: Alyssa Thomas has been stellar lately with 20.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.3 SPG and 0.7 BPG in her last three games. Sun’s front is so deep that they tend to take turns having commanding stretches and Thomas is right in the middle of his. Thomas’s aggressive scoring has coincided with a slight drop in her game and Natisha Hiedeman (89.3% available) has taken over. She has 15 assists in her last three games after totaling just 14 cents in her previous eight outings.
Allisha Gray returned Friday from a two-game absence battling an ankle injury. She delivered 10 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer in 33 minutes. Those numbers are a little below her norm, but she may be closer to her full strength tonight. Satou Sabally also returned from a seven-game absence on Friday and played on a minute restriction. While it’s not known if the restriction has been lifted before tonight, it would make sense for the team to err on the side of caution with the All-Star break looming. –Snellings
Best bet: More than 163.0
Given that Connecticut ranks third in offensive rating (104.6), the Sun should have no problem scoring a lot of points in this game. On the other hand, the Wings rank eighth in defensive rating (103.3). Dallas, however, ranks fifth in offensive rating (101.8). Expect a firefight in this game. Place your bet on the plus. –Eric Moody
Source: www.espn.com