The combination of the Liberty shooting well above their season average and a rare poor performance from star Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles enabled New York to upset the Lynx in the opening playoff game this past Sunday.

Now the Lynx must win or be eliminated. Look for Minnesota to not only win, but win decisively. The Lynx had the best team during the regular season and they had the best road record at 18-4.

Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart is going to get her points inside, but highly doubtful the Liberty can shoot well above their heads again like they did in Game 1 when they made 51% of their field goal attempts and made 13-of-25 3-point shots for 52%. They averaged 35.2 percent from 3-point range during the regular season.

Minnesota not only had a better shooting percentage than New York during the regular season, but the Lynx are the stronger defensive team, too. Center Jonquel Jones, New York's second best player, is dealing with an ankle injury. It is going to be rough on her playing for the second time in three days.

Lynx superstar center Napheesa Collier can take advantage. Miles, a legitimate MVP candidate along with being the rookie of the year, should play much better after scoring only 11 points and dishing off just one assist. 

I can't see the Dream defeating the Liberty twice in a span of three days in New York. Kudos to Atlanta for defeating the Liberty, 95-84, this past Monday.

That was a tough spot, though, for New York having just played in Toronto on Sunday. Having to play back to back games in the WNBA is a rarity.

The Liberty led Atlanta after the first quarter, but then ran out of gas. 

Keep in mind, too, that aside from having to play the Dream without rest the Liberty had seven participants in the recently concluded FIBA World Cup in Germany. The Liberty should be fully acclimated now.

Atlanta won't come into this game exactly rested either. This is the Dream's fourth game in seven days. The Liberty have gotten healthy and are playing much better than they were earlier in the season winning 13 of their last 18 games.

(Update: Hours after I wrote and posted this, Breanna Stewart was ruled out. I would still take the points with the Liberty, but downgrade my rating.) 

The Mystics are in action for the first time since clinching a playoff spot with a, 105-100, road win against Portland two days ago. It is the first time in three seasons Washington has made the postseason.

Look for a letdown from the Mystics, playing for the fourth time in seven days.

Phoenix could be the most disappointing team in the WNBA. After making the championship finals last year, the Mercury are already eliminated this season. But they will be dangerous in this home game, especially after being humiliated in a 20-point road loss to the Mystics a little more than two weeks ago.

The Mercury have star power with Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and trade-deadline addition Kelsey Plum, who no longer is listed as being out. These are prideful veterans. 

Washington is 13-7 at home, but just 9-8 on the road. 

Despite being only in their second season in the WNBA, the Valkyries are vastly superior to the Sparks. Golden State has the second best record in the league at 22-9. LA is 12-18.

No chance of the Valkyries overlooking the Sparks either after LA pulled one of the biggest upsets of the season defeating Minnesota as a 16 1/2-point road underdog this past Thursday.

Prior to that unlikely win, the Sparks had lost seven of their past eight games. They have missed the playoffs during the past five seasons and cannot be trusted to follow through on their stunning victory against the Lynx.

Golden State has won three straight games and nine of its last 11. The Valkyries are the top defensive team in the league. The Sparks are the worst defensive team in the league surrendering 16 more points per game than Golden State.

Unlike the Fever, the Valkyries are rarely on National TV. This is one of those chances to shine on the national stage as the game is being broadcast by ESPN. 

This is too many points for the banged-up Liberty to be laying to the Sky, who have played better without injured and unhappy Skylar Diggins. Chicago has covered 11 of its last 15 games, including five of its past six.

Hit hard by injuries, New York has been one of the biggest underachievers in the WNBA. Six teams have a better record than the 14-12 Liberty, who are 3-8 during their past 11 games. New York has failed to cover nine of its last dozen games and remains without multiple rotation players.

Satou Sabally is out with a concussion. Leonie Fiebich is sidelined with a foot injury and Marine Johannes is questionable due to an ankle injury.

The Liberty barely won the lone prior matchup this season, 96-95, on June 17, on a late layup by Sabrina Ionescu. New York was at full strength in that game, too, unlike this rematch. The Liberty also were playing much better than now having won seven in a row entering that matchup.

The Sky are capable of pulling the outright upset with Kamilla Cardoso, one of the better frontcourt players in the league, former Liberty spark plug point guard Natasha Cloud and exciting rookie Sydney Taylor.

This is the Liberty's third game in five days all at different venues. They had to return to New York after edging Dallas, 99-98, in overtime on the road Monday night. The Wings were missing their superstar Paige Bueckers. The Liberty needed a career game from unsung reserve Marine Fauthoux to pull out that victory.

The Sky are the more rested team having last played on Sunday.

Just like the past couple of seasons, the Sky are poorly coached and have low morale. They are 8-16, the fourth worst record in the WNBA.

The Sky's latest internal conflict is veteran guard Skylar Diggins not playing ostensibly because of a knee injury. More like Diggins is trying to dig her way out of a bad situation in Chicago.

The Sky's best player is center Kamilla Cardoso. She missed her first game of the season this past Wednesday because of a knee injury. She is a game time decision here. It would be a huge break for LA if she did not play.

But I like the Sparks regardless if Cardoso plays or not.

The Sparks hosted Chicago last Friday and won, 102-87. Cardoso had 15 points in that game. LA was missing center Cameron Brink, who was out with an ankle injury. Brink is back healthy and gives the Sparks their best rim protector and defensive player.

LA has lost two in a row since defeating the Sky. Those defeats, however, came to the Lynx and Dream. This is a step down for the Sparks.

Led by Nneka Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell, the Sparks haven't missed Kelsey Plum's offense. LA is averaging 96.7 points per game in its last four games. That is 10 more points per game than what Chicago averages. 

The Valkyries are the hottest team in the WNBA winning and covering their last seven games. They have the best point spread record in the league at 14-9 (61 percent). Golden State covered 62 percent of its games last season. It is not a coincidence.

Golden State is the No. 1 defensive team in the WNBA giving up 76.2 points a game. That is nearly 13 points fewer than what Indiana permits per game. The Fever rank fourth-from-the-bottom defensively.

The Valkyries are in great defensive form, too, holding their last three opponents to an average of 62.6 points a game.  

Golden State has been idle since Friday. Indiana just concluded a four-game road swing that ended with a blowout victory against the Aces on Sunday. Las Vegas was playing for the second consecutive day.

The Fever have not played at home since June 27. This is a nationally televised (USA Network) game. No big deal for the Fever. But it means something to the Valkyries, who rarely get national TV exposure.

Indiana has far more star power with Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. But Clark has been on a minutes restriction since recovering from a lingering back injury. She is 2-for-11 in 3-point shooting in two games since returning. The Valkyries are No. 2 in defensive field goal percentage.

It is a plus if All-Star Gabby Williams can play for Golden State after missing her first game of the season this past Friday because of a back injury. But even without Williams, I will take points with the superior defensive team that has better team chemistry, a strong bench and is the hottest team in the league. 

Before losing on the road to a fired up Sparks team, the Sky had been playing well going 3-2. Chicago's two losses during this span had both occurred to the 17-6 Aces, who are tied with the best record in the WNBA. Each of the two losses to Las Vegas came by eight points with one happening in overtime.

Dallas is at least one level lower than Las Vegas and in a vulnerable situational spot. The Wings just completed a highly satisfying four-game road sweep that concluded on Friday night.

This marks the Wings' first home game since June 28. It is a letdown spot for them following their successful road trip.

Dallas nipped Chicago, 93-92, as a 10 1/2-point home favorite on June 20 when the two teams last met. Expect another close game here.

The Lynx are tied with the Aces for the best record in the WNBA at 16-6. This spot sets up well for them - home court, short revenge and the return of star point guard Olivia Miles - to cover against the beat-up Liberty.

New York will be missing two of its better players as Leonie Fiebich (foot) and Satou Sabally (concussion) are out. The Liberty also could be down rotation players Pauline Astier (ankle) and Rebecca Allen (nose). Those two are questionable.

The Liberty defeated the Lynx, 99-86, at home just eight days ago. But now the short-handed Liberty have to come to Minnesota for this early start game. New York has dropped four of its last five road games.

Miles is off the injury report after missing the past two games because of a calf injury. She is averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while emerging as both a Rookie of the Year and MVP candidate. 

After a good start, the Chicago Sky are showing once again how poorly coached and inefficiently run they are. The Sky has lost 13 of their last 16 games.

Their sagging morale has gotten even lower with veteran point guard Skylar Diggins demoted from the starting lineup. Diggins is Chicago's second leading scorer and top assists person.

Now the Sky have to play the Mercury in Phoenix. The timing is bad. The Mercury have regrouped to win a season high three straight games. Phoenix is averaging 96.6 points a game during this span.

The Mercury also have a rest advantage having been idle since Thursday. 

The expansion Tempo opened as favorites against the Sparks because they are home and LA won't have injured star guard Kelsey Plum.

This is a wrong favorite.

LA has had ample time to game plan and rest for this matchup following an epic, 98-97, victory against New York this past Sunday at home. The Sparks rallied from 17 points down to beat one of the three best teams in the WNBA.

The Sparks upset the Liberty despite a poor performance from Plum, who was 5-of-14 shooting from the field and missed six of seven 3-pointers.

Rae Burrell sparked LA with 19 points off the bench. The Sparks are better than Toronto, which is 1-4 in its last five games. LA still has star power with Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby.

LA's weakness is its 14th ranked defense. That is the second worst in the league. Guess what? Toronto has the worst defense in the league. The Tempo give up the most points per game and also are second to last in defensive field goal percentage.

The Sparks have momentum from that huge victory against the Liberty. They can withstand Plum's absence in the short term especially against this opponent.

These two teams do not like each other. That was evident in the Fever's, 86-77, home win this past Monday. There were six technical fouls called and one player was ejected. 

The Mercury are the biggest underachievers in the league at 5-13 after reaching the WNBA finals last season. But they have a couple of star players - Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper - and they will be highly motivated for this short revenge heated rivalry matchup.

The Fever could be the most high profile team in the league thanks to Caitlin Clark, but nearly all of their victories have been against below .500 teams.

Thomas, a top five player, makes Phoenix dangerous. The Mercury are more than capable when aroused like they were when they played the Aces in Las Vegas and won by 30 points. The Mercury were up for that game because the Aces swept them in the WNBA finals.

They will be up for this game. 

This is a prime example of a buy-low, sell-high spot backing the home underdog Sky against Atlanta.

The Dream are 7-3, which is the best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference. They just destroyed Washington at home, 109-77, this past Saturday and return home to host New York in a much bigger game on Thursday. The Liberty trail Atlanta by one game.

Not only is this a look-ahead spot for the Dream, but they have a losing ATS mark on the road. Atlanta averages nine fewer points and gives up four more points as a visitor this season.

The Sky should improve as they are getting healthier. Azurá Stevens and Gabriela Jaquez are both back from injuries. They are two of Chicago's best five players. Kamilla Cardoso is emerging as one of the best low post players in the league.

Chicago ranks in the top five in several defensive categories, including field goal percentage, rebounds and blocked shots.

Note, too, that home teams have covered 68 percent of the time this month going 15-7. 

Rebuilding Connecticut has the worst record in the WNBA at 1-7. But the Sun should not be this big of underdogs to the expansion Fire, especially given the circumstances.

Yes, Portland is off to a surprising 4-3 start. The Fire just upset the Liberty as a double-digit road underdog this past Monday. Now they have to make the cross country trip home from New York. This will be their third different time zone in their last four games. Their last three games have been on the road.

So it's not an ideal situation for Portland, which also is in a letdown spot.

Connecticut has been on the West Coast for the past week. The Sun player's body clocks are attuned to West Coast time.

Portland does not possess outstanding talent. It is mediocre at best. The only time the Fire have been favored this season was against the Sun, laying 3 1/2 points at home on May 18. The Fire failed to cover in winning, 83-82.

The Sun could have pulled the upset if they would have shot better from the free throw line. They made only 11 of 20 free throws for 55 percent. Portland made 20 of 26 free throws for 77 percent.

Connecticut outrebounded Portland and should do it again even with Brittney Griner ruled out. Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa is back from injury and Connecticut has two good forwards in Aneesah Morrow and Aaliyah Edwards.

This is an unfamiliar and not a good role for the overachieving Fire. It would not surprise me if Connecticut won straight-up.

I want the WNBA champion Aces going for me following their embarrassing, 99-66, season-opening home loss to the Mercury on Saturday.

Distracted by the pregame ring ceremony celebrating their title, the Aces were flat. It was a huge revenge spot for the Mercury, who were swept by the Aces in the WNBA finals. Phoenix played well and with more desire than Las Vegas. 

Expect the Aces to play much better today and with far more intensity. Las Vegas closed out last season winning its final 16 regular season games. They should be even better this season with the addition of talented guard Chennedy Carter joining league MVP A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd.

The Sparks had a losing record last season and did not make the playoffs. They are better this year, but still are several tiers below the Aces.

It is LA's season opener. The Aces are in an advantageous situation having already played a game. Fatigue is not a factor for the Aces playing without rest since it is just the second game of the season and Wilson, Gray and Young all were rested the entire fourth quarter against Phoenix. 

Home court is strong enough in playoff basketball without any help from the officiating. But in the WNBA playoff home court really means something given how bad the league officiating is.

Minnesota was homered in the title game last year against the Liberty in New York and the Lynx were homered in Game 3 on the road against Phoenix this year.

Las Vegas knows that feeling. The Aces were homered in Game 4 at Indiana this past Sunday losing, 90-83. The Fever shot 34 free throws. The Aces only took 11 free throws.

But now the Aces get the Fever at home. Las Vegas is 17-5 at home. The Aces buried Indiana, 90-68, at home in Game 2 of this series.

A'ja Wilson is the best player in the league. No way does Indiana center Aliyah Boston get the better of Wilson.

The Aces are a much better free throw shooting team than Indiana. The Aces also are healthy, something the Fever are not. The Fever have shown a lot of spunk and guts to go this far in the playoffs despite missing multiple rotation players, including star guard Caitlin Clark.

But I see the Fever running out of gas here. Las Vegas has too strong of a track record at home and are the superior team. It's just a bonus if the Aces get added help by the officiating, which has been blatantly slanted toward home teams in the playoffs.

No Napheesa Collier, no chance for Minnesota. And I doubt Collier plays after suffering shoulder and leg injuries in the Lynx's Game  3 loss to the Mercury.

The Lynx and their coach, Cheryl Reeve, are on tilt following Friday's road loss to Phoenix. Reeve went crazy at the end of the game due to the horrendous officiating.

Minnesota really lost this series when it blew a 20-point lead at home in Game 2. The Lynx haven't recovered.

Phoenix's confidence level is sky high, the Mercury are home and their three stars are playing well.

The WNBA is wide open this season. Minnesota had the best regular season record and deserves to be favored.

But the Lynx aren't that dominant where they should be in this high of a point spread range.

Phoenix eliminated the defending champion Liberty. The three best players in the WNBA are A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier and Phoenix's Alyssa Thomas, who is the Oscar Robertson of the league averaging 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists.

The Mercury took out the Liberty this past Friday night. They then had to play Game One at Minnesota this past Sunday. Despite the scheduling and disadvantage, Phoenix had a 7-point halftime lead and the game was tied at the end of the third quarter.

Phoenix ran out of gas and lost, 82-69.

That shouldn't be the case in Tuesday's Game 2. I also don't expect the Mercury to miss 20 of 23 of their 3-pointers like they did in Game 1.

Note, too, that the Lynx are missing DiJonai Carrington, one of the best defenders in the league and a key rotational part for Minnesota.

Phoenix has its big three healthy - Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Cooper. That makes the Mercury extremely dangerous.

The Valkyries have proven resilient all season becoming the first WNBA expansion team to make the playoffs. They get tremendous fan support at Chase Center, where their 18,064 arena is sold out.

This should be a tight defensive game with every point mattering. Golden State is eliminated with a loss.

This is what Minnesota superstar Napheesa Collier said about today's matchup: “No one on this team thinks that this is going to be an easy game, by any means. We know it’s going to be a fight. They all work really, really hard. That’s been a staple of their team this entire season, and their home crowd is really great. It’s going to be a really tough game, and we have to make sure that we come with our A-game, especially on defense.”  

The Valkyries should get a better break from the officials than they did in Game 1 at Minnesota being home now and after their coach, Natalie Nakase, complained about the officiating.

Note, too, that Golden state had the second-best point spread mark in the league during the regular season covering 64 percent of their games.

After going 28-5 in their first 33 games and clinching the No. 1 playoff seed, the Lynx are just 5-5 in their last 10 games. They do not have any incentive and they do not have any motivation here.

Minnesota rested superstar Napheesa Collier in its last game not wanting to take a chance on her reinjuring her ankle. There is no reason for the Lynx to play Collier here.

Golden State, however, has incentive. A victory enables the Valkyries to finish in sixth place and meet either the Aces or Dream instead of the Lynx in the first round of the playoffs.

The Valkyries have the second-best point spread record in the WNBA at 27-15-1 (64 percent).

Given their talent, the Storm may be the most underachieving team in the WNBA this season. Seattle needs to win this game in order to clinch the final playoff spot.

Because of that we have an inflated point spread.

The Valkyries are an expansion team, but they haven't played like one. They are in the playoffs and have a chance to be the sixth-seed. Golden State has played hard all season. I don't see that changing here.

Golden State had won five in a row before losing to the league's best team, Minnesota, in its last game this past Saturday. The Valkyries outscored the Lynx in three of the four quarters.

 Seattle has stars in 10-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike along with Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor. Yet the Valkyries have the better record.

Golden State's 25-15-1 (63%) point spread mark is the second-best ATS record in the WNBA. The Storm have the second-worst point spread record in the league at 17-26 (40%) ATS.

LA is a huge favorite here. But by the time this game tips off, the Sparks may have little incentive to play. That's because their slim playoff hopes could end if Indiana beats Washington as expected. That game tips off three hours before the Spark game. So LA's players will know the result. Indiana was favored by six points on the overnight line. Washington has lost eight in a row.
 
The Sparks are on fumes done in by a brutal, late-season schedule. This is their fifth game in eight days. The Sparks just lost to the Dream this past Wednesday and Friday failing to step up in either game. Talent hasn't equaled results for the Sparks.

Dallas has been on West Coast time the past few days. They last played on Thursday against Golden State, easily covering against the playoff-bound Valkyries.

The Sparks didn't get into LA from their 5-hour flight home from Atlanta until Saturday. This is a Sunday afternoon game against a well-rested opponent that will be playing loose with no pressure.

The line is so high because Dallas has the worst record in the WNBA. But the Wings also will have the best player on the court in Paige Bueckers. She has been tremendous in the last two games against the Sparks averaging 36.5 points. The Sparks won those two games by just one point each with the last occurring on August 20th. It took a buzzer beater for the Sparks to nip the Wings, 81-80, as eight- point home favorites.

Look for another close game here. 

The defending WNBA champion Liberty have been pointing to this game for more than a week after they were upset as 8-point road favorites by the Wings on national TV eight days ago.

The motivation and setting is ripe for the Liberty to get their revenge in double-digit fashion.

The rebuilding Wings just traded away DiJonai Carrington, one of their few good defensive players. Even with Carrington, Dallas was a bottom-three defensive team.

The Wings rank second to last in 3-point defense. That bodes well for long range shooting star Sabrina Ionescu, who has been hot.

New York remains without superstar Brianna Stewart, but did shore up its frontcourt, signing veteran Emma Meesseman to go with star center Jonquel Jones.

Dallas has played its last four games at home. The Wings are 1-4 straight up and against the spread in their last five road games.

Every point should matter here as this figures to be a very low-scoring game as the total indicates.

Chicago has lost six in a row. However, this is a step down in class for the Sky as five of those losses were against above average teams - Minnesota twice, Indiana, Seattle and Atlanta. Those were all above average teams with Minnesota being probably the best team in the WNBA right now.

Kayla Thornton is the Valkyries' best player. She is out for the season, though. Golden State also may be without Monica Billings and Cecilia Zandalasini. Neither played last night. This marks the Valkyries' fourth road game in six days and second in two nights. They are fat and happy with consecutive upset victories against Washington and Atlanta.

With a short rotation, a heavy fatigue rating and playing on the road against what should be a motivated Sky team, this is an extremely bad spot for the Valkyries. So I will take the points with the Sky.

Atlanta is 15-11, a much more sound team than 8-19 Dallas. The Dream rank in the top-five both offensively and defensively. The Wings are inconsistent on offense and a bottom-three defensive team.

Given the quality of the two teams and the scheduling dynamics, I find this point spread to be too low. So I am backing Atlanta.

The Dream nearly came back from a 13-point fourth quarter deficit last night before losing at home to Golden State. Atlanta was an 8 1/2-point favorite against the Valkyries.

The prideful Dream does not want to lose consecutive games to these opponents, who are well below their caliber.

The Wings did not play last night. However, they nevertheless carry a heavy fatigue ranking. This is Dallas's fourth game in six days and third game in four days. It's also a letdown spot for the Wings.

Dallas upset the defending champion Liberty two days ago at home. That was a great victory for the Wings, their best of the season. It has to be noted, though, that New York did not have superstar Breanna Stewart in that game.

It has been a difficult and disappointing season for the Aces. But I will take double digits with them as they are a desperate and prideful team following an 80-70 road loss to the Fever on Thursday.

The one good news for the Aces in that defeat was superstar A'ja Wilson played fewer than 30 minutes. Las Vegas coach Becky Hammond intentionally kept her minutes down in anticipation of this huge matchup. I regard Wilson as the top player in the WNBA.

The Lynx have the stronger bench. But Las Vegas actually has more star power with Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray.

The Aces have put together a little three-game win streak. The victories have been against the Valkyries at home in narrow fashion, versus the 7-17 Wings and an impressive home victory against the Dream two days ago. 

But make no mistake about it. The Aces are down from last season and way down from their championship form of two seasons ago. 

The Fever hosted Las Vegas three weeks ago. They buried the Aces, 81-54, despite not having Caitlin Clark. Clark remains out. That is not necessarily a huge negative though for Indiana. Bothered by injuries, Clark's shooting has been way off this season. 

Indiana is talented without Clark. They have a pair of All Star-caliber players, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, and a deeper bench than Las Vegas. 

While the Aces are a bit fat and happy, Indiana will be highly motivated after three consecutive road games, including back-to-back disappointing away losses to the Liberty.

I want the Storm at home in double revenge going for me against the expansion Valkyries. The Valkyries have already exceeded their season over/under win total with a 10-11 record.

However, the Valkyries are 1-4 in their last five games. They are at least one level lower than the 13-9 Storm.

It is a source of frustration for the Storm to have lost twice to Golden State last month. Seattle has a huge talent edge with three All Stars - Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams. The Valkyries' bottom-three offense can't match that firepower.

Golden State has been a major surprise, but the Valkyries are struggling now as this is the final game before the All-Star break for the teams.

The efficient Storm rate third in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. Seattle was upset by Washington at home in its last game. The Storm certainly don't want to go into the All-Star break having suffered consecutive home upset losses.

Retooled Indiana was supposed to be good enough to challenge for the WNBA title this season. Through 13 games, it hasn't gone that way for the 6-7 Fever.

Caitlin Clark is back from injury, but has missed 16 of 17 3-point shots during the past two games. The Fever lost each of those games falling to the expansion Valkyries and the Aces, who are below .500 themselves. Things are not looking up for the Fever as they play their third road game in a row taking on hot Seattle.

The Storm are playing their best ball winning six of their last seven games. Seattle has defeated much better teams than the Fever during this span, including the Lynx and defending champion Liberty although New York was missing two of its three best players in that game, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones.

This point spread is too low considering the circumstances. Seattle has won three in a row. The Storm's confidence is up and they are home. Nneka Ogwumike may be the hottest player in the WNBA averaging 25.7 points in her last three games. Skylar Diggins is an elite guard and Gabby Williams is the most underrated player in the league. Opponents get sky high for the Fever because of the presence of Clark and the media attention she brings.

The timing is bad right now for Indiana. Stephanie White was supposed to be a huge coaching upgrade on Christie Sides. White hasn't cleaned that low bar yet. White already has missed a couple of games due to personal reasons. Not a good look with this being her first year coaching the Fever.

Morale is not good for the Fever. Critics are saying White isn't running the right offense for Clark. The Fever was supposed to have upgraded their bench. But core veteran DeWanna Bonner is out for personal reasons and the reserves have been underwhelming during the current road trip.  

Clark and White are proven winners. They likely will get their ship back on the right course. But for now, they can't be backed.

Not only is Connecticut 2-9 and arguably the worst team in the WNBA. But the Sun have to play on consecutive days, something extremely rare in the WNBA. 

The Sun have to do this, too, traveling and off a physical, dirty game on the road against Indiana last night. There were multiple technical fouls called in the game and two Connecticut players were ejected, Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen. A third Connecticut player, Marina Mabrey, should have been ejected for shoving Caitlin Clark to the floor.

Tina Charles played a game-high 30 minutes. The 36-year-old Charles is Connecticut's best front-court player. You have to think she could be rested for this matchup.

All in all, it's simply one of the worst spots of the season for one of the worst teams.

Phoenix loaded up during the off-season getting Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally to join holdover star Kahleah Cooper, who is back healthy. Thomas and Sabally are among the best dozen players in the league. Thomas should be especially motivated returning to Connecticut having played 11 years for the Sun. 

The Mercury are 8-4, finding their stride with a 5-2 ATS record in their last seven games. They last played on Sunday.

At 5-5, the expansion Valkyries are way ahead of their projected season win total of 8 1/2. Natalie Nakase would get my vote for Coach of the Year if the season ended today.

Unfortunately for Golden State it doesn't.

Things are about to get a lot worse for the Valkyries. That's because EuroBasket 2025 starts Wednesday. Golden State will be missing four of its top seven players because of it. The Valkyries will be missing two of their three best players - Temi Fagbenle, who is competing in EuroBasket, and injured Tiffany Hayes - not to mention losing much of their depth.

The timing for this game couldn't be better for Dallas. The Wings are in dire condition at a league-worst 1-11 after blowing an 11-point lead against the Aces with 3:34 left during their last game, this past Friday.

Dallas is the biggest underachievers in the league. First-year coach Chris Koclanes is coming under heavy fire. This is a true circle-the-wagons game for the Wings.

Dallas has the talent. Paige Bueckers is living up to the high expectations of being the No. 1 overall draft pick and future superstar. She's averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Arike Ogunbowale was the MVP of last year's All-Star game. DiJonai Carrington gives the Wings the three best players on the court.

It's not a surprise Phoenix is a road favorite against Las Vegas. The Aces are way down from their championship team of two seasons ago and are without reigning league MVP, A'Ja Wilson. She remains sidelined being in concussion protocol. Wilson's importance can't be stressed enough. She leads the Aces in points (20.9), rebounds (9.6 rebounds) and assists (4.0). She also prevents opponents from driving the lane with her defense and shot-blocking.

The Aces had not been playing well even with Wilson. Their only victory against an above .500 team was against the 6-5 Storm.

Phoenix has the second-best record in the Western Conference at 7-4. The Mercury rank fourth defensively giving up 78.3 points a game. By contrast, the Aces rank ninth defensively permitting 84 points a game and now they don't have Wilson.

The 1-11 Wings, the worst team in the league, put up 84 points against the Aces despite scoring only two points during the final four minutes. The Aces exerted tremendous energy in coming from way behind to beat the Wings at home two days ago. They still could be tired from that game since it was their first full game minus Wilson. Rested Phoenix has been idle since Wednesday.

Not only do the Sparks possess a huge talent edge against the Valkyries, but this also is a good situational spot for Los Angeles. 
Golden State could still be on Cloud 9 after stunning the Aces, 95-68, at home this past Saturday. That was the first-year Valkyries' biggest win in their short existence. 

It also puts the Valkyries in a letdown spot against the revenge-minded Sparks. Los Angeles lost to Golden State, 82-73, as 10 1/2-point home favorites on May 23. 

There isn't one player on expansion Golden State that I would rank above LA's top five players - Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens, Rickea Jackson and Odyssey Sims. Those players have made LA the No. 1 scoring team in the WNBA at 93.3 points a game. That's 16.3 points per game more than what the Valkyries average.

Since losing superstar Caitlin Clark to a quad strain, Indiana has gone 0-2. The Fever lost to Washington, 83-77, as a four-point road favorite last Wednesday and then was humbled by Connecticut - the worst team in the WNBA - with an 85-83 loss as a double-digit home favorite last Friday.

The Fever had veteran guards Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson when they lost to the Mystics last week. Now those two aren't expected to play because of injuries joining Clark on the sidelines. It leaves the Fever so thin at guard that they had to apply to the league to get an emergency hardship in order to sign guard Aari McDonald.

So not are the Fever going to be missing Clark and her across the board production and leadership - 19 points a game, 9.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 31.4 percent shooting from 3-point range - but they are down to their fourth-string point guard.

Washington is not a patsy. The Mystics tied for the best point spread record in the league last year at 25-14-1 (64 percent) and has a winning point spread record this season. They have the best guard on the court by far with Clark out in Brittney Sykes and a pair of rookie-of-the-year candidates, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.

The Mystics are physical and they like to run. The Fever are going to have problems staying with them minus Clark.

The Fever are a frustrated bunch. Caitlin Clark is out with an injury and the Fever just suffered an upset road loss to the Mystics this past Wednesday. 
I look for the Fever at home to take their frustrations out on the perfect patsy, Connecticut. 

This isn't the successful Sun team of the two previous seasons that reached the conference semifinals each of those years under Stephanie White. The Sun are in total rebuild with a first-year coach and all new starters. They are the worst team in the WNBA at 0-5, 1-4 ATS. 

White is now Indiana's head coach. Worse for the Sun is they are banged-up especially in the backcourt where their second-leading scorer and assists leader, Marina Mabrey, is questionable and Lindsay Allen is out. Frontcourt player, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, is questionable, too. She's Connecticut's third-leading scorer and second-best rebounder. 

The Fever desperately want to prove they are far more than just Caitlin Clark. This is their golden opportunity to show that.

The Storm are a good team. Not elite, but above average with plenty of star power and experience.

I'm not so sure about Phoenix. The Mercury have a big three of Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Cooper, but lack depth and backcourt experience.

It's a good time to play Phoenix right now. That's because Cooper is out with a knee injury. The Mercury are thin in the backcourt and the team is going through an adjustment period as Thomas and Sabally are new to Phoenix. It's a new look for the Mercury as Diana Taurasi retired after 20 seasons with the team and Brittney Griner left Phoenix in free agency after 11 years.

Judging by an 0-2 preseason, including a loss to the expansion Valkyries, the Mercury have yet to develop any chemistry.

So I don't see the Mercury ready yet to beat a borderline top-five team.

And so it will end tonight for Rookie-of-the-Year Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Thanks to Clark's generational talents, the Fever made the playoffs after going 13-27 last year.

I had the Sun in Game 1 and I'm backing them again after their, 93-69, rocking chair winner in Game 1 of this two-out-of-three series this past Sunday.

This is what I wrote before Sunday's game: There are four major factors working against the Fever now: Playoff inexperience, being on the road, facing the veteran Sun - the top defensive team in the WNBA - and the horrendous coaching of Christie Sides.

All of those factors were evident in Game 1.

The Sun are one of four elite teams in the WNBA along with the Liberty, Aces and Lynx. The rest of teams are tiers below, including the Fever. Connecticut opened this series having competed in 222 postseason games. The Fever's playoff experience consisted of 19 games, none from any of their starters. Indiana hadn't made the playoffs since 2016.

Connecticut led the WNBA in defense. Indiana ranked second-to-last. The Sun held the Fever 16 points below their season average. The magnificent Clark could manage only 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field.

The Sun have now hosted the Fever three times this year. They've won all three games by margins of 17, 21 and 24 points. That's an average win margin of 20.6 points.

The oddsmaker only made a slight adjustment in the point spread. It's not nearly enough for the Fever to cover.

Do I expect Seattle to upset the Aces in Las Vegas and keep its playoff hopes alive down 1-0 in this best two-of-three series?

No. But it wouldn't shock me if the Storm pulled the upset. I'll certainly take this many points to find out.

Seattle is a savvy, veteran team that has a top-four defense and star power with Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike and Jewell Loyd, last year's WNBA leading scorer.

The Storm were right with the Aces in Sunday's Game 1 - until the fourth quarter. The Storm collapsed in the final period scoring only two free throws while going 0-for-12 from the field.

Yet the Aces still only won by 11 points, 78-67. Las Vegas shot 43 percent from the floor and 39 percent from 3-point range. Seattle shot 36.8 percent from the floor and missed 12 of its 16 3-point attempts for 25 percent.

You could tell from A'ja Wilson's postgame interview that Seattle was a tough opponent and that she and the rest of the Aces expect a much closer game.

I have to believe the Sky show up and play hard here after an embarrassing, 89-58, home loss to the Mystics this past Wednesday. Chicago has a one game lead on Washington and Atlanta for the final playoff spot. So there is incentive.

It's a weird scheduling spot for Minnesota. The Lynx last played at home on Sept. 1 when they defeated the Sky, 79-74. The Lynx then played three straight road games before returning home for this one game before heading back on the road to face the Liberty in New York on Sunday. That's a much bigger matchup for Minnesota. So it wouldn't be surprising if focus and concentration aren't all there for the Lynx.

Angel Reese is out for the season. However, the Sky still have three other good players with Chennedy Carter, rookie center Kamilla Cardoso, who draws more of the spotlight with Reese out, and underrated Isabelle Harrison, who has looked good since returning from injury.

Must-win time for the Mystics as they trail the Sky by two games for the final playoff spot in the WNBA with five games to play.

Washington is 2-1 vs. Chicago this year. Angel Reese played in all three of those games for the Sky. Reese is now out for the season following a wrist injury. Reese is one of the best rebounders in the league and the Sky's second-best player next to Chennedy Carter.

Chicago has won its last two games. Those games, though, were against the two worst teams in the WNBA, the Wings and Sparks. The Sky had lost seven in a row before getting to play Dallas and Los Angeles.

Scoring is a problem for the Sky. They rank 10th out of 12 teams in scoring, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. Chicago also is last in free throw percentage.

The Mystics have been underrated by the oddsmaker all season. They have the league's best spread mark at 23-11-1 (67 percent) ATS. This includes covering seven of their last eight games.

Washington has the second-worst record in the WNBA at 10-23. However, the Mystics have the best point spread mark at 21-11-1 (66 percent).

The Mystics are playing well winning four of their past five games, including road victories against the Storm, Sky and Wings during this span.

Phoenix is 2-4 SU, 1-4-1 ATS in its last six games. Yet the Mercury just clinched a playoff spot by beating Atlanta at home this past Tuesday. This is Phoenix's third game in five days and the team doesn't have a strong bench. It's also a major letdown spot for the Mercury having just fulfilled their goal by earning a postseason berth after going a miserable 9-31 last year.

Yes, the Mercury are better coached this season. But they are not one of the powerhouses of the league. They are 17-17 and their intensity is likely to be down after gaining a playoff spot.

Up until this game, the most Indiana has been favored by is seven points. Now the Fever are laying double-digits and they're doing it on the day they clinched their first playoff spot in eight years.

The Fever clinched a postseason berth because the Sky and Dream were eliminated following losses last night.

Indiana has earned the right to celebrate. So it could be hard for the Fever to have their full concentration and intensity especially being at home.

The Sparks have the worst record in the WNBA at 7-25. They are off an embarrassing blowout home loss to the Dream this past Sunday. But the game before that they upset the Liberty, which owns the best record in the league at 27-6.

So the Sparks are capable. They have covered seven of their last nine road games. They have talent with Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson - probably the third-best rookie in the league - and sparkplug veteran Odyssey Sims, who recently signed with them.

The Sparks aren't going to lack motivation off an embarrassing defeat and going against Caitlin Clark.

Back to full strength, the Dream are making a playoff push. They are 3-1 coming out of the Olympic break with two of the victories coming against the 18-10 Storm and 22-7 Sun. 

Atlanta has a top-five defense and has been especially sharp defensively in its last three games giving up an average of 71.6 points. That's nine points below its season average. 

The Dream go on the road for four consecutive games following this matchup. So this is a crucial game for them. They are the more rested team as the Fever are playing their second road game in three days. 

I rate Caitlin Clark already as one of the 10 best players in the WNBA. But some of her value is negated by the egregious coaching of Christine Sides, the worst coach in the league. Atlanta doesn't have a superstar like Clark. But the Dream have four excellent players in Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Tina Charles and much underrated Jordin Canada. 

The Fever have covered nine of their last 13 games and are in a great spot to extend their ATS hot streak to 10-4. Indiana catches Phoenix playing without rest after the Mercury rolled past the Sky in Chicago on Thursday night. The Mercury caught a break when Chicago's Chennedy Carter was scratched hours before tip-off because of illness.

Indiana should be well-rested and ready. Not only did the Mercury play last night, but their three best players - Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Cooper - all helped the U.S. win the Olympic Gold medal by beating France this past Sunday in Paris.

The Mercury have a short bench. They played only eight despite beating the Sky by 20 points. All of Phoenix's starters logged more than 29 minutes.

The Fever have matched up well to the Mercury. They are 2-0 vs. Phoenix winning, 88-82, at Phoenix on June 30 and defeating the Mercury, 95-86, at home on July 12.

There's a player in this Fever-Wings game who is the No. 3 scorer in the WNBA, leads the league in steals per game and is tied for second in averaging the most made 3-pointers per game.

And her name isn't Caitlin Clark. It's Dallas' Arike Ogunbowale.

But it's not because of Ogunbowale that this game is a sellout and being televised nationally by ESPN.

Clark's presence is sure to arouse passion and an all-out effort from the underachieving Wings, who have better talent than their 5-19 record indicates.

Dallas is 2-2 in its last four home games with wins against Atlanta and Minnesota. However, the Wings are off a disappointing home loss to the Sparks in their last game this past Saturday. They have had ample time to rest and prepare for a rare nationally televised sold-out home game.

These are the two-worst defensive teams in the league. Dallas, however, is the better rebounding team with a height advantage on Indiana.

I have the utmost respect for the Lynx and their coach, Cheryl Reeve. The overachieving Lynx have the third-best record in the WNBA at 16-6.

But the Lynx aren't good enough to beat Seattle on the road without their superstar, forward Napheesa Collier. She's expected to miss her third straight game because of a foot injury. Collier is arguably one of the five best players in the league.

Minnesota is 2-0 since Collier has been out. Those wins, though, were against the Mystics and Sparks, whose combined record is 11-34. Now the Lynx step way up in class and are on the road.

Seattle has a star-studded lineup that has come together to win 13 of its last 18 games. Take away Collier and the Storm will have four of the five best players on the court in Nneka Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Ezi Magbegor.

Caitlin Clark returns to Vegas on Tuesday. That's motivation enough for the two-time defending champion Aces. The timing is good for the Aces to bury Clark's Fever team like they did in the first meeting. Las Vegas won that home game, 99-80, on May 25.

The Aces accomplished that blowout victory despite not having star point guard Chelsea Gray.

Gray has been back for four games now after missing the first 12 games of the season. No coincidence the Aces have gone 4-0 while playing their most consistent ball of the season. Gray is off her best game, too, making 8-of-9 shots from the floor in the Aces' 88-77 road win against Washington this past Saturday.

Not only does Indiana catch the Aces playing well, but this marks the end of a five-game road trip for the Fever. The Fever upset Phoenix this past Sunday in a nationally televised game. It was the first time they had beaten an above .500 team all year.

The Mercury are a mid-tier WNBA team. They are a level higher than the Fever, playing at home with major incentive.

That incentive is a rare nationally televised (ESPN) game for the Mercury courtesy of the network's fascination with rookie Caitlin Clark.

Hardened 41-year-old veteran Diana Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, isn't going to let Phoenix get embarrassed by hotshot Clark.

Clark is a generational talent. I already find her the best passer and 3-point shooter in the league. But Clark is going against a double whammy - extremely motivated opponents and the egregious coaching of her head coach, Christie Sides. Clark is rarely put into favorable situations because of Sides' ineffective coaching.

Phoenix is much stronger at home going 7-2. This includes victories against Seattle and New York during the last two weeks. The Fever lost by 12 points to the Storm in their last game this past Thursday.

This marks the Fever's fourth consecutive road game. Phoenix has a winning record. The Fever have yet to beat an above .500 team. Phoenix is 3-0 this month against below .500 teams with the average victory margin being 13.3 points.

Indiana is the worst defensive team in the WNBA giving up 87.9 points per game. The Mercury have the scorers to take advantage with Taurasi, Kahleah Cooper and Brittney Griner.

The Sparks have lost six in a row and are dealing with key injuries. Their excellent rookie center, Cameron Brink, is out for the season and rotation guard Lexi Brown will miss the game. 

But laying this many points with the Mercury is a bridge too far. Phoenix is 8-8. Only once have the Mercury beaten an opponent by more than 10 points. 

Los Angeles is well-coached by Curt Miller, who twice has been named WNBA Coach of the Year. The Sparks have had nearly a week to rest and prepare for this game. They've played extremely tough opponents in five of their last six games going against the Liberty twice, Sun, Lynx and Storm. All on the road and in a span of 11 days. Those four teams have a combined record of 53-16. 

The Sparks' defense has gone downhill without Brink, an excellent defensive center. But LA still has Dearica Hamby, one of the better all-around players in the league. Rickea Jackson is one of the top rookies. She's been overshadowed by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese so you don't hear that much about her. Backup center Li Yueru has been drawing more minutes and displaying potential. 

The Mercury are the second-worst shooting team in the league and rank ninth out of 12 teams defensively. The Mercury also will be hosting Clark and the Fever on Sunday in a rare nationally televised game for them. So this is a look-ahead spot for Phoenix, which isn't good enough to cover this number without playing at a high level. 

The wonderful Caitlin Clark continues to soak publicity. But her team, the Fever, is last in the WNBA defensively and has the worst coach in the league in Christie Sides. 

The Fever haven't defeated an above .500 team all season - and they won't until Sides is gone. 

Seattle added more firepower in the offseason. After a slow start, the Storm have gelled going 9-3 in their last 12 games. They just beat Connecticut, 72-61, in their last game this past Sunday. The Sun are tied for the second-best record in the WNBA at 13-3. 

The Storm aren't just one level above the Fever, but two levels. That should be enough to win by double-digits at home. Seattle's past eight victories have all been by eight or more points. The Storm's average victory margin during this span is 15.2 points.

The Storm buried the Fever, 103-88, when they last played. That was in Indiana on May 30.

The Sky and Fever have become a rivalry because of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. There certainly is no love lost between these teams.

The teams have met twice this season: The Fever nipped the Sky, 71-70, on June 1 and won 91-83 last Sunday. Both games were in Indiana. Now the Sky get to host the Fever. I see a Chicago victory here.

Indiana has a four-game win streak. Those victories, though, were against the 3-13 Mystics and twice against the below .500 Dream. The other was against Chicago where the Fever shot 56.5 percent from the floor and attempted five more free throws than the Sky. Chicago shot 40.7 percent from the field.

So I'm not that impressed with Indiana's win streak. The Sky got a much-needed confidence boost in their last game, defeating Dallas this past Thursday. The Sky are an improving team with center Kamilla Cardoso fully back from injury and Reese proving a serious challenge to Clark for rookie-of-the-year honors.

This is going to be an intense game. I don't trust the Fever on the road and I certainly don't trust their coach, Christie Sides, who I regard as probably the worst coach in the WNBA.

I hold no doubt that come the playoffs, the two-time defending champion Aces will be right back as a formidable force, probably the team to beat again.

But the Aces are not at that stage yet. Connecticut and New York are the two best teams in the WNBA right now and Connecticut has the best record at 13-1. The Sun are 5-0 on the road.

Las Vegas should not be this high of a favorite against the Sun. The Aces will be fortunate to win the game straight-up. The Aces are 7-6, including 4-4 at home with home losses to the Mercury, Storm, Lynx and Liberty.

The Aces will get rolling when star point guard Chelsea Gray returns to top form. Gray made her season debut this past Wednesday helping spark the Aces to a 94-83 home win against the Storm. That was a revenge spot for the Aces and the team was pumped to finally get Gray back from her foot injury.

Gray played 15:30. She scored only one point while attempting only two shots. Gray averaged 15.2 points last year. Her minutes likely will go up in this game, but there's plenty of rust. So the timing isn't that good for the Aces to draw this elite opponent right now.

Connecticut is the top defensive team in the league, holding opponents to 70.7 points per game. The Aces have yet to get their defense straightened out allowing 83 or more points during their last five games.

Pity the poor Mystics. They just got their best all-around player, guard Brittney Sykes, back in their last game against Atlanta. Sparked by Sykes' return, the Mystics beat the Dream, 87-68, for their first win of the season after 12 consecutive losses. However, Sykes suffered a foot injury in the victory and is out indefinitely again after missing eight games.

Shakira Austin is the Mystics' top low-post player and she's out, too, with a hip injury. I don't see the 1-12 Mystics beating the 4-7 Sky minus those two players and in a letdown spot after finally achieving their much-needed first victory of the year. Washington is 0-5 at home.

Chicago is the better team, especially with highly-touted rookie center Kamilla Cardosa back in shape and not limited anymore with a minutes restriction. Cardosa and Angel Reese give the Sky a big front-court edge. Reese is proving to be a tremendous talent in her rookie season with four straight double-doubles. She had a season-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in Chicago's last game, an 83-75 loss to Connecticut, the best team in the WNBA with an 11-1 record. Now the Sky are going from being competitive against the best team to playing the worst team.

The Sky and Mystics met in Washington just eight days ago. The Sky shot just 38 percent from the floor and made only 1-of-14 shots from 3-point range. Yet the Sky still beat the Mystics, 79-71.

The excitement Caitlin Clark brings to Indiana can't offset that the Fever isn't very good. They are poorly coached, have the worst defense in the WNBA and rank third-from-the-bottom in scoring despite having Clark.

I don't see the Fever staying within single digits of Connecticut, which is 9-1.

The Sun aren't going to lack motivation playing the 3-9 Fever at home having suffered their first loss of the season. That came to the Liberty, 82-75, two days ago at home.

Connecticut should have plenty of energy to go with motivation. This only is the Sun's second game in six days. Before losing to the Liberty, the Sun had blowout victories in three of their previous four games defeating Phoenix by 23 points, Atlanta by 19 points and Washington by 17 points.

The Fever were just barely able to get past the 0-12 Mystics in their last game, winning by only two points. Before that, the Fever had lost by a whopping 36 points to the Liberty.

This is the third meeting between the two teams. The Sun buried the Fever by 21 points at home and beat them by four points at Indiana.

The Sun are the No. 1 defensive team in the WNBA. They have far more depth than the Fever. Alyssa Thomas is one of the few players in the league better than Clark.

Considering the Sun are the WNBA's lone unbeaten team at 8-0 and the Mystics have the worst record in the league at 0-8, this large point speed seems justified on the surface. 

But it's not really. 

Connecticut has padded its record against lower-tier opponents. The Sun have yet to play the Aces or the Liberty, who they will host in their next game. The toughest team the Sun have played is the Lynx. Connecticut won that game in overtime by one point. 

Despite their easy schedule, the Sun haven't dominated in most of their victories with five of their past seven wins coming by seven or fewer points. This includes beating the Wings by two points, Fever by four points and Sky by four points. Connecticut has a losing ATS mark. 

Washington and Connecticut have met this season with the Sun winning, 84-77, failing to cover as an 8-point home favorite.

 
The Mystics are 0-8, but 4-3-1 ATS. They've lost by more than 11 points only once. 

Washington has been idle since Friday, while the Sun enter this matchup fat and happy after a blowout road victory against Atlanta this past Sunday. 

The Sun have averaged just 71 points per game during their last three games. The Mystics are the lowest-scoring team in the league, but still average 74.4 points a game.

There is just one undefeated team in the WNBA - and it's not the two-time defending champion Aces or the Liberty. It's 7-0 Connecticut.

The Sun put that mark on the line against Atlanta. I see Connecticut covering a short road number here. The Dream has played an easy schedule and are in a letdown spot following a home upset of the Aces, 78-74, this past Friday. The Aces had an off-shooting night making only 36 percent of their shots from the floor.

Before knocking off the Aces, the Dream had played just one tough team this season. That was Minnesota and the Dream lost to the Lynx, 92-79, at home.

Connecticut is not a good matchup for Atlanta, especially given the letdown spot. The Sun are the slowest tempo team in the league. Atlanta prefers to run-and-gun. Connecticut won three of the four meetings last season with the winning margin being by an average of 10.3 points.

I'm looking for a big performance from the Fever as they return home following three consecutive road games. Indiana has played five tough games out of seven - Liberty twice, Sun twice and Aces once - and now get to step way down in class.

The rebuilding Sparks are the worst team in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is 1-4. Its lone victory was at home against the 0-6 Mystics by two points. If the Mystics aren't the worst team in the WNBA than the Sparks are.

This is only the Sparks' second road game of the season. Their only other away game was back on May 18. It was a short one, just an hour flight to Las Vegas.

Indiana's 1-6 record is deceiving because of the tough schedule it has played. The Fever can expect great support as this is only their third home game and first since May 20. The Fever has played the most games in the league. But they were able to get two full days of rest having last played this past Saturday.

The Fever's lone victory came against the Sparks, 78-73, this past Friday at Los Angeles. A record Sparks crowd of 19,103 turned out for the game.

It's not just Caitlin Clark for the Fever. Indiana center Temi Fagbenle has emerged, giving the Fever another low-post presence and energetic force to go with Aliyah Boston, one of the better inside players in the league. Boston and Fagbenle combined to make 14-of-26 shots from the floor against the Sparks.

Los Angeles is not a deep team relying mostly on a six-player rotation. The Sparks will be without veteran guard Layshia Clarendon, one of those six rotation players. She's out with a head injury.

Phoenix is much improved from its disastrous 9-31 season of a year ago. The Mercury upgraded both their roster and coaching staff. So it wasn't a total shock Phoenix upset defending WNBA champion Las Vegas, 98-88, as 13 1/2-point road 'dogs this past Tuesday night.

Washington, on the other hand, is 0-4 and in for a long season with its superstar, Elena Delle Donne, choosing not to play this season. Brittney Sykes, the Mystics' best all-around guard, is out with an ankle injury.

So why get involved with the Mystics on the road against the Mercury here?

Because there's more than meets the eye.

The Mercury returns to Phoenix fat and happy after holding off the Aces, who railed from 15 points down with 5 1/2 minutes to pull within two points. This is a huge letdown spot for a team that didn't do much winning last year and remains without its top rim protector and rebounder, injured Brittney Griner.

The Mercury made an unbelievable 16 of 33 shots from 3-point range in upsetting the Aces. Highly unlikely they repeat that shooting performance against Washington, which ranks No. 2 in the league in 3-point defense.

The Mystics have yet to win, but they were ahead in the fourth quarter in three of their four games. This includes leading the Liberty by eight points with 9:25 left and the Sun by seven points with 9:20 to play. Those are two of the three best teams in the league. Washington also led Seattle in the fourth quarter and was nip-and-tuck in a 70-68 road loss to Los Angeles this past Tuesday.

The Dream has had this game circled ever since Dallas knocked them out of the playoffs last season, 2-0, with both of the Wings' victories coming at home.

Now Atlanta gets Dallas at home. It's the Dream's first home game of the season and the Wings' first road contest.

The Dream are at full strength. Dallas is not. The Wings are without starting guard Jaelyn Brown (broken nose) and star forward Natasha Howard (broken foot).

The Wings hosted rebuilding Chicago for their first two games. Dallas was favored in each game, but could only manage a split against one of the lower-tier teams in the league.

Atlanta beat the Sparks by 11 in Los Angeles, but lost as a short road favorite to the much-improved Mercury.

The Dream have too much firepower for the Wings, which heavily rely on Arkie Ogunbowale for the bulk of their scoring. Ogunbowale is a prolific scorer, but is only shooting 37.3 percent from the floor.

Atlanta is No. 1 in the WNBA in field goal and 3-point shooting percentage. The Dream rank No. 3 in scoring, averaging 88.5 points per game. Rhyne Howard and Alish Gray give the Dream one of the top scoring backcourt tandems in the league. Veteran Tina Charles still remains highly effective averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Charles could be in line for a big game with Howard out.

New York picked a bad time to play its worst game of the season. That came this past Sunday in Game 1 of its semifinal playoff series against Connecticut. The Sun whipped the Liberty, 78-63. While it was the Liberty's worst showing of the season, it was the Sun's most consistent game of the season, according to their coach, Stephanie White.

Connecticut is the best defensive team in the WNBA. But New York is the second-highest scoring team in the league and also ranks No. 2 in field goal percentage. The Liberty got the better of the Sun in all four of their regular-season games, winning by an average margin of 15 points.

The Liberty are 35-9 counting the postseason. They haven't lost two straight games all season. The Liberty won their next game following a defeat by an average of 16.3 points.

So I see New York beating the Sun by double-digits.

Good job by Minnesota taking this WNBA playoff series to a deciding third game. The Lynx are home, but should be bigger underdogs than this. Connecticut is a much better team than Minnesota.

The Suns showed that in Game 1 winning by 30 points. The Lynx, though, pulled out an 82-75 win this past Sunday to even the series.

Now the Lynx have the Sun's full attention.

Connecticut led the WNBA in defense and had the fourth-highest scoring offense. Alyssa Thomas is a strong MVP candidate. She's like the Oscar Robertson of the WNBA with her ability to record triple-double games.

Minnesota ranked ninth in scoring and was second-to-last on defense.

Trends favor Connecticut, too. The Sun are 4-0 ATS the past four times following a loss and are 15-5-1 the last 21 games when playing on two days rest.

The Lynx are 2-5 ATS the last seven times after covering and are 1-5 ATS the past six times when playing with two days rest.

Phoenix has packed in its season, failing to make the playoffs. The Mercury have lost seven in a row. They are 1-17 on the road. This is their second-to-last road game of the season.

Diana Taurasi and Sophie Cunningham are both out with injuries. Those are Phoenix's second and third-best players.

Minnesota is 18-19 and looking to clinch a playoff spot.

Discount road losses to the Aces and Liberty, the league's two powerhouses, and Atlanta is 10-1 SU, 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games. 
The Dream are a couple of tiers ahead of Seattle and should cover against the Storm. 

Seattle is 2-13 at home this season. The Storm have lost their past six home contests. They also are without injured Gabby Williams. This is a huge loss. She could be the Storm's second or third-best all-around player. I don't believe this line has fully accounted for her absence here. 
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The Storm just played two days ago. They are close to being a one-person scoring show with Jewell Loyd, the WNBA's top scorer. Loyd averages 11 more points than the second-highest scoring Seattle player. Loyd had an off-shooting night and the Storm lost at home to the Sun by 12 points this past Tuesday.

Atlanta has been idle since dispatching Indiana by nine points at home this past Sunday. The Dream defeated the Storm, 85-75, in Atlanta when the teams last met on July 12 for the first time this season. Loyd didn't play in that game, but Williams did. 

Indiana had the worst record in the WNBA last season and the Fever have the worst record in the league this season.

The Fever are 2-14 in their last 16 games. They have failed to cover in their past five games.

The Sparks are a disappointing 10-18. But they've been hit hard by injuries. So at least they have an excuse. Now, though, the Sparks are getting healthy. They just beat the Mystics, 91-83, on the road this past Sunday. That was the Sparks' fifth straight cover.

LA is the better team. It's not too much to ask the Sparks to merely win this game.

Atlanta hasn't been this large of an underdog all season. The Aces are having a record-breaking season, but this is too many points for them to lay.

The Dream have picked up their game winning nine of their last 12. Like the Aces, they have star power with three All-Stars.

Atlanta won't lack motivation. Las Vegas, on the other hand, is off a highly-satisfying 13-point home revenge win against Dallas this past Sunday. The Aces' next game is a marquee matchup on the road against New York, the other superpower in the WNBA. So this is a sandwich spot for the Aces, who once again will be without injured starter Candace Parker.

The teams last met a month ago in Atlanta. The Dream covered for the fourth time in the last five meetings between the two teams. Las Vegas only was able to win, 92-87.

The Dream are playing their best ball, riding a six-game win streak. They are home and will have three of the four best players on the court in All-Stars Rhyne Howard, Cheyenne Parker and Allisha Gray. Those three are averaging a combined 51 points per game. 

Minnesota can't stop strong offenses. The Lynx's last two games were against the Wings and Aces. They lost those games by an average of 32 points giving up an average of 110 points in those defeats. 

Atlanta ranks No. 3 offensively averaging 86.6 points. The Dream are averaging 91.8 points in their last six games. 

The Lynx have multiple injuries. They will be without their leading rebounder, Jessica Shepard, along with missing guards Aerial Powers and Rachel Banham. 

Seattle is the coldest team in the WNBA having lost eight of its last nine, including six in a row. The Storm, though, gave it an excellent comeback effort in their last game coming from 25 points down in the third quarter to lose to the Mystics in Washington, 93-86.

Unfortunately for the Storm that road game was last night. So the Storm will be playing without rest and are in action for the fourth time in seven days. That's a brutal stretch for any basketball team, especially an WNBA one, whose players have to fly commercial instead of charter.

The Storm now visit a rested Atlanta team that has been idle since Sunday. The Dream are playing their best ball winning five in a row, the last four by double-digits.

Led by Rhye Howard, Allisha Gray and Cheyene Parker - all All-Stars - the Dream is the No. 3 scoring team in the league. Seattle is the worst defensive team in the league.

The Storm heavily rely on Jewell Lloyd to do their scoring. Lloyd, though, logged more than 35 minutes last night. She is playing on a tender ankle, too.

Atlanta is the far superior team right now and the situation is another huge minus for the Storm.