Thursday Brings Two WNBA Headliners

WNBA Plays

I went 1-1 the other day when I did this, so I'm going to try it again. With only 13 teams in the league it can be a big challenge trying to write about different matchups and different things. I actually prefer playing multiple plays on the WNBA instead of just one game to focus on - at least early in the season. Tonight, we have a double-header with two of the league's biggest starts taking court. Let's see what we can do for WNBA looks here on Thursday night. 

Fever vs. Dream, 7:30 ET

The Fever are the team that will get more national attention than any other team in the league. They have the most famous player on the planet (more on this in a second), and the team retooled this offseason in order to find a way to get the squad into the playoffs and have a legitimate path to the championship. It is easy to fall in love with the Fever due to their additions, depth, and having Caitlin Clark, but they won't win every game, there will still be time where the team needs to click. The thing is the Dream are somewhat in the same situation. They should be really good this year, adding Brittney Griner to the team in the offseason. This team is talented with Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, and Allisha Gray. It will be interesting to see what happens over the course of the season, but I fully expect Atlanta to make the playoffs or at least be fighting for a spot late in the year. Tonight, I do think the Fever correct their mistakes and get a win, I'm just not sure I want to back them as a road favorite yet. Aliyah Boston has been great in two games this season, posting double-doubles. She has a harder game tonight, having to deal with Brittney Griner, but I think we get her at a good number here at 14.5. They just faced each other the other night, and she had 24. This is a revenge game, so I do think the Fever win and cover, too.

(Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

Liberty vs. Sky, 8:00 ET

I mentioned the two most popular players in the league playing today. Like it or not, Angel Reese is a popular player that has more Instagram followers than Clark. Does that mean she is as good of a basketball player? No. Does it mean she generates as much interest for the league? Absolutely not. I'm just saying, there is a large market for this woman. I'm still fairly convinced that is part of the reason that she was drafted as highly as she was. What I really like about Reese, though, is her motor. She is trying the whole time she is out there, the problem is she just isn't quite great. I kind of compare her to Dennis Rodman, but everyone thinks she should be Karl Malone, and she has a personality that she is Michael Jordan. The Liberty have Sabrina Ionescu who has one of the most popular shoes right now, is a champion, is attractive, and can shoot from deep. Why she doesn't get as much attention as Clark is beyond me. I really just don't have an answer for it. Sabrina didn't play great in the first game, shooting just 3-for-12 in the opener against the Aces. She also has shot just 1 for 20 in her past three WNBA games going back to last season. Ionescu though has cooked the Sky in her recent games against them. She has scored 28, 21, 24, 19, and 19 over her past five games. I think she goes over her 16.5 here as she looks to get her offense back on track. 

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