It has been a rough start for the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. But to be fair, the team received a really tough schedule to begin the season.
They’ve played two games against the Connecticut Sun, the third betting favorite to win the WNBA title (+1000), two games against the New York Liberty, the second betting favorite to win the WNBA title, (+170), and a game at the Seattle Storm, the fourth betting favorite to win the WNBA title (+1700).
That’s a tough row to hoe for anyone, let alone a team that was bad enough last year to get the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Finally, some relief.
Friday night, the Fever find themselves in Southern California to take on the Los Angeles Sparks, the 12th betting favorite (out of 12 teams) to win the WNBA title. The Sparks are +10000 to win the WNBA, the Fever, even at 0-5, remain +4500. For Friday’s game on the road, they are three-point favorites. The Fever initially opened as 1.5-point favorites.
The Fever have been close to a win, losing their last two games 88-84 and 85-83. The Sparks do have a win on the season, but their schedule has been one of the easiest to begin the season. Other than their game against the Las Vegas Aces (a loss), the Sparks have played the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics – two teams expected to struggle all season.
The Fever are favored for the first time in 2024, and on top of getting to see them possibly win their first game, it’s a matchup of the two betting favorites to win Rookie of the Year. Clark remains the heavy favorite, paying -900. She’s averaging 17.8 points and 5.8 assists per game.
The Sparks have No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink, who leads the WNBA with 3.7 blocks per game, including a block to seal their win over Washington on Tuesday. She’s paying +1200 to be Rookie of the Year
Having never played in college, this is the first time the two women have faced each other.
Clark Gets Wilson Signature Basketball
Even without a WNBA win on the court, Clark continues to win off it. This week, she signed an endorsement deal with Wilson that puts her on a par with Michael Jordan. The sponsorship deal makes Clark a brand ambassador for Wilson, and it will include a series of signature items, including a signature basketball. Jordan was the last athlete to get his own signature Wilson basketball.
It’s the Caitlin Clark Collector’s Edition Debut Series, and the series of basketballs will feature different pictures of Clark, designed to commemorate her rise to stardom.
“I couldn’t be more excited to continue driving basketball forward alongside [Wilson]. It feels surreal to have my own basketball collection,” Clark said in a statement.
The three Clark basketballs are called Threes Up (featuring Clark celebrating a made three-pointer), Record Breaker (showing her after she set the college basketball points scored record), and Crowd Maestro (which features Clark pumping up the crowd).
Along with her Wilson endorsement deal, the 22-year-old Clark has signed with Nike, Gatorade, and State Farm Insurance. Along with his deal with Wilson, Jordan also famously had endorsement deals with Nike and Gatorade.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
