The New York Liberty (1-0) hit the road to battle the Indiana Fever (0-1) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday night in the front end of a home-and-home series. Tip-off for the standalone game in the WNBA is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, will make her highly-anticipated home debut in her new stomping grounds. There were some bright spots in Tuesday’s WNBA debut in Connecticut, as she scored 20 points while making four 3-pointers. She was also 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. However, you can’t gloss over the fact she misfired on 10 of her 15 field-goal attempts, including seven misses from behind the arc, while she turned it over a whopping 10 times. The Sun had the best scoring and 3-pointer defense in the WNBA last season, so it’s no surprise the rookie struggled.
Clark’s current team is like her squad at Iowa, too. She is great, and there isn’t much debate about that. But she isn’t exactly surrounded by five-star talent. Like her days at Iowa City, she will carry the team on her back until the Fever can bring in additional help.
The Liberty don’t need a lot of help. This is a very deep team. On Tuesday, New York went on the road and took care of the Washington Mystics 85-80 in the opener, although the defending WNBA runners-up didn’t come close to covering as an 11.5-point favorite. The Over (164.5) just came through in the win.
New York was led by Jonquel Jones, who was a very efficient 10-of-17 from the field while finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds and two assists. She made four 3-pointers in her 33 minutes, too. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was good for 20 points on an efficient 9-of-13 shooting, while Sabrina Ionescu ended up with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds with two blocked shots. However, the guard managed just 4-of-12 from the field, including 1-of-7 from behind the arc.
The Liberty got the job done despite Breanna Stewart being limited to eight points and 3-of-9 shooting. Still, she did chip in with eight boards, while Courtney Vandersloot was limited to just six points on 3-of-9 from the floor.
New York is a deep team, and the WNBA schedulemaker wasn’t very kind to Indiana and Clark. Starting with a difficult road game against a defensive-minded Connecticut team and a home-and-home with a powerful Liberty team will make for a rough start for Clark and the Fever. Let’s dive into our top WNBA same game parlay for tonight’s game.
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Thursday's Best WNBA Same Game Parlay
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
WNBA Same Game Parlay: Liberty vs. Fever
Leg 1: Breanna Stewart To Score 20+ Points (-166)
Stewart struggled in the first game against the Mystics, but don’t expect her to have long-term problems with her shot. She opened with just eight points in Washington, but she averaged a career-best 23.0 PPG last season, her first in New York. The Fever allowed 92 points in the opening game loss in Connecticut, including 48% (32-of-66) shooting from the field and 43% (9-of-21) from behind the 3-point line. Look for Stewart to get untracked against the defensively-challenged Fever in this marquee matchup in Indianapolis.
Leg 2: Caitlin Clark To Record 6+ Assists (+130)
Clark dished out just three assists in the opener, which was tied with Katie Lou Samuelson for the most on the roster. She is the primary scoring option, and players will try to get her the ball, not vice versa.
This is probably the most worrisome of the legs of the SGP. However, you can also expect the deep Liberty to double Clark, forcing others to beat them. Clark will have to pass a lot more for the team to have offensive success. She tried to do that in the opener, but did so unsuccessfully, turning it over 10 times.
Once she gets more in tune with her new teammates, Clark will know where they are much better. Again, six dimes is a bit of a stretch, but it’s doable, since the Liberty will force others to make plays.
Leg 3: Sabrina Ionescu Over 3.5 Made 3-Pointers (-102)
Ionescu was “her” before Clark was “her.” She was the one everyone was talking about at the University of Oregon. She might come into this game with a little bit of a chip on her shoulder, trying to get some of that shine back.
Ionescu was just 1-of-7 from behind the 3-point line in the opener in D.C., so she will need a big bounce-back performance to make this leg of the SGP work. She had seven 3-pointers in a game in Indiana on July 12 in a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game, and she averaged 3.6 triples per contest a season ago. It should be bombs away for Ionescu in Indianapolis as she looks to get on track after an uneven performance in Washington in the opener.
Leg 4: Caitlin Clark Over 3.5 Made 3-Pointers (-194)
Then there is Clark. In addition to needing six dimes, she must also make four triples. The rookie was able to hit exactly that number in the opener in Connecticut despite the nerves and turnover problems that came with her WNBA debut.
This is the least worrisome part of the parlay, as she can make threes with a hand in her face. Clark looks like she is just jacking up wild shots from all over the floor, but she knows what she is doing, and she does it well. It was routine in college, and it will be the same in the WNBA, even against good teams playing good defense.
You can get a +879 payout if this SGP cashes. It obviously won’t be easy. The Clark assist leg is especially concerning, given the lack of dimes in the opener against the Sun. However, it’s still worth a roll of the dice for a chance to multiply your initial wager by over eight times at FanDuel. Good luck!
WNBA Same Game Parlay Odds: +879
