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Sportsbooks stand to win big if the Indiana Fever can't make a serious rebound from their rough start.
Buoyed by the presence of No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark, the Fever entered the season as a trendy pick to compete for the WNBA title. A week and three blowout losses later, and that shine has quickly faded.
The Fever opened the season with +2000 title odds at BetMGM, where they had the fifth-shortest odds among the league's dozen teams. They were also the book's biggest liability, having drawn 45.8 percent of the total wagers made on the WNBA champion.
Indiana has since lost its first three games by an average of 23 points, with Clark averaging 7.0 turnovers to go with her 17.0 points and 5.7 assists per game. Sitting at the bottom of the standings a week into the season, the Fever are now being offered at +4000 by BetMGM to win the title.
The Fever lost their fourth straight game Monday night, at home to the Connecticut Sun, 88-84.
By contrast, the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces have seen their odds shorten from +100 to -105 while winning their first two games. The New York Liberty, who have dealt the Fever two of their three losses, have shifted slightly from +225 to +220.
WNBA TITLE ODDS (NOW, OPENING)*
Las Vegas Aces (-105, +100)
New York Liberty (+220, +225)
Connecticut Sun (+1200, +1200)
Seattle Storm (+1200, +1000)
Dallas Wings (+2500, +3000)
Phoenix Mercury (+3000, +4000)
Chicago Sky (+4000, +3000)
Indiana Fever (+4000, +2000)
Minnesota Lynx (+4500, +6000)
Atlanta Dream (+5000, +5000)
Washington Mystics (+8000, +8000)
Los Angeles Sparks (+10000, +6000)
*BetMGM
The Fever remain the book's biggest liability, although the total percentage of bets has dipped to 34.0 percent. They're followed by the Aces at 26.1 percent and the Sky at 11.2 percent.
Las Vegas has still garnered the most total money at 43.4 percent, making the Aces the third biggest liability behind the Sky.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Caitlin Clark shows off range with logo three, but Fever fall short
- Fever competitive but lose to Sun to remain winless
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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Aces explode for 106 points in win over Paige Bueckers-less Wings
Jackie Young scored 24 points, five teammates scored in double figures and the Las Vegas Aces had a season-high point total in a 106-80 victory against the Dallas Wings on Sunday afternoon in Arlington. Jewell Loyd, coming off the bench for the first time this season, scored 20 points and Kierstan Bell, making her first start of the season in Loyd's spot, had her first double-figure game of the season with 19 points. A'ja Wilson had 14 points and 10 rebounds, NaLyssa Smith scored 11 and Chelsea Gray added 10 for the Aces (13-13). Gray and Young each doled out eight assists and Wilson had seven. Arike Ogunbowale scored 18 points, Haley Jones had 15, DiJonai Carrington scored 14 and Teaira McCown had 12 points and 13 rebounds to lead Dallas (7-19), which lost for the sixth time in seven games. Rookie Paige Bueckers, the Wings' leading scorer this season, did not play because head coach Chris Koclanes said he was resting her in the midst of a stretch of four games in seven days, which includes the conclusion of a back-to-back when New York visits Monday night. The Aces scored the first four points of the third quarter to open a 60-44 lead. JJ Quinerly made a midrange jumper to provide the Wings' first points after nearly four minutes, and she added two free throws and an assist on Carrington's jumper to get Dallas within 10. Gray made a three-pointer and Loyd added back-to-back three-pointers in the final minute to help Las Vegas expand the lead to 73-58 at the end of the third quarter. The Aces poured on 33 more points in the fourth. Wilson made consecutive field goals and Gray followed with three free throws to help Las Vegas open a 12-4 lead. Dallas took a one-point lead before Young made back-to-back three-pointers, and the score was tied at 27 at the end of the first quarter. The score was tied three more times early in the second, and Bell made a three-pointer to break the final tie and start an 11-2 run that gave the Aces a 47-38 lead. Las Vegas took its biggest lead of 14 points on a three-point play by Wilson before consecutive field goals by Luisa Geiselsoder and Ogunbowale helped trim the margin to 56-44 at halftime.
Bruins' David Pastrnak Calls Out Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: He Just Lacks Humility'
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
Biggest surprises after the first week of Steelers training camp include a quarterback on the rise and a changeup in the WR room
There are a lot of things that have to be sorted out during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 training camp. Part of that includes the WR room and what exactly the team has via rookie quarterback Will Howard. Through the first weekend, we have some surprising developments on both fronts... Roman Wilson is taking lots of outside reps When the Steelers are in 11 personnel (one back and one tight end on the field) their three WRs have been relatively predictable: DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. And on the first day, that was the order with Metcalf and Austin on the outside and Wilson in the slot. But the Steelers spent a good portion of the weekend playing Wilson outside and moving Austin inside. To this point, Robert Woods hasn't been much of a factor at all, and while Wilson is playing a lot outside, Calvin Austin III has been the one making plays from wherever he aligns. Now we obviously can't draw any firm conclusions from four days of unpadded practice, but it's clear that the Steelers are giving Roman Wilson every opportunity to prove he's the team's #2 WR, even if Calvin Austin III is the one who holds the title. Will Howard already making waves? After starting practice in Latrobe as the third team quarterback, Howard worked his way into first team reps with the Steelers in 7v7 on Sunday. He received one of the biggest pops from the crowd of anyone on Saturday, and what few reps he's been afforded, he has run with them. I fully expected Will Howard to surpass Skylar Thompson on the depth chart by the end of camp, but to see him making such a big jump after just days of practice is very encouraging for the rookie. Preseason will be huge for Howard.
Former NBA MVP could be nearing the end of his career
For the past two seasons, Joel Embiid has been dealing with a knee issue. The former MVP underwent surgery in April to try to repair his meniscus, the second time he's received such surgery in the past 12 months. Embiid recently sat down for a tell-all interview with ESPN's Dotun Akintoye, where he detailed the struggles his body is currently going through. "We're not going to push anything," Embiid said. "For my whole career, I felt like we never took that approach ... We don't have a timeline. Hopefully, sooner rather than later ... It's all about the results ... If I come back early enough and I'm still not myself, guess what? You're not winning any games." Embiid's struggles have left the Sixers in a precarious situation. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey has built the entire roster around the star center's unique skill set. Philadelphia has constructed a team to go as far as Embiid can take it. It makes sense, then, that Embiid is just as frustrated with his injury-induced absences as the rest of the Sixers fanbase. In a July 27 appearance on Sirius XM Radio, Sixers beat writer Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer shared a unique take on the big man's recent interview and the messaging he's been putting out recently. "I think Joel may know that the end is near, and this is just me saying, and it's kind of like explaining to people what he's been going through," Pompey said. "Because rarely do you have a guy tell you how much pain (they're in) and how much they're going through. The thing I took from it was no matter who is there, the culture is the same. And I feel like Joel Embiid knows that it may not be this season, but the end is near. Maybe he feels as though he can't play to the level he used to. I could be wrong. He could come out and have another MVP season. But that was my takeaway." Embiid is probably one more lost season away from making such a difficult decision. He's only suited up for 58 games over the past two seasons, 39 in 2023-24 and 19 in 2024-25. Embiid doesn't project as the sort of player who would accept a decline while still cashing enormous checks that limit his team's ability to compete. The problem for Embiid is that injuries are only half the battle. Even when healthy, conditioning has been his Achilles heel. So, not only would he need to stay injury-free, both with his knee and his back, but he would also need to get into the best shape of his life. Anything less, and the Sixers could be doomed to repeat their failures of the past. Embiid is still working his way through a long road of recovery. However, he may also be coming to terms that the NBA chapter of his life is on the final few pages, and that must be a daunting reality to face.
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