Happy WNBA opening day!
The W opens with a four-game schedule on Tuesday, which includes the debut of No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark for the Indiana Fever.
On the “Buckets WNBA” podcast, Jim Turvey came through with three picks for Tuesday, including a fade of Clark’s Indiana team and two player props.
Check out the full “Buckets WNBA” episode below, and be sure to continue reading for all three of Turvey’s best bets.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| [teammatchup shadow=”false” link=”#1″ firstfullname=”New York Liberty” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/wnba/100/nyl.png” secondfullname=”Washington Mystics” secondlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/washington-mystics-updated-logo-2023.png”][/teammatchup] | 7 p.m. | Brittney Sykes Over PRA |
| [teammatchup shadow=”false” link=”#2″ firstfullname=”Indiana Fever” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/indiana-fever-updated-logo-2023.png” secondfullname=”Connecticut Sun” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/wnba/100/con.png”][/teammatchup] | 7:30 p.m. | Sun -7 |
| [teammatchup shadow=”false” link=”#3″ firstfullname=”Phoenix Mercury” firstlogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/207903_Mercury.png” secondfullname=”Las Vegas Aces” secondlogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/757250_Aces.png”][/teammatchup] | 10 p.m. | A’Ja Wilson Over Rebounds |
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[subheader sizedown=”false” center=”false” text=”Brittney Sykes Over Points + Rebounds + Assists vs. Liberty” subtext=”7 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN3″ logo1url=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/washington-mystics-updated-logo-2023.png”][/subheader]
By Jim Turvey
I am going to be keeping an eye on Sykes’ usage over the course of this year.
Sykes is going to command a lot of usage this season. I would guess this number will be in the 20-22 range, and I like this up to the high-20s.
I think her point totals are going to be very high this year, and I think she has a chance to finish in the top five in WNBA scoring this season.
She’s an outstanding player who’s going to have plenty of scoring opportunities on a not-so-amazing Mystics team.
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| [teamlogo league=”nba” shadow=”true” link=”#1″ fullname=”Washington Mystics” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/washington-mystics-updated-logo-2023.png”][/teamlogo] | [teamlogo league=”nba” shadow=”true” link=”#2″ fullname=”Connecticut Sun” logo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/wnba/100/con.png”][/teamlogo] | [teamlogo league=”nba” shadow=”true” link=”#3″ fullname=”Las Vegas Aces” logo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/757250_Aces.png”][/teamlogo] |
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[subheader sizedown=”false” center=”false” text=”Sun -7 vs. Fever” subtext=”7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN2″ logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/wnba/100/con.png”][/subheader]
By Jim Turvey
I think this will be a “welcome to the league” moment for Caitlin Clark.
The Sun have already coined the phrase “disrespeCT,” and I don’t expect them to play second fiddle to a rookie in her first WNBA game. I also lean toward Clark’s under tonight.
Kelsey Mitchell will not be playing tonight for the Fever, which is a huge blow early in the season. The Sun have a revamped backcourt, and with Brionna Jones back, she will be able to take some of the scoring burden off of Alyssa Thomas.
The Sun are an incredibly skilled team, and I think this number starting at -5.5 was far too short. Clearly, the sharps saw that too.
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| [teamlogo league=”nba” shadow=”true” link=”#1″ fullname=”Washington Mystics” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/washington-mystics-updated-logo-2023.png”][/teamlogo] | [teamlogo league=”nba” shadow=”true” link=”#2″ fullname=”Connecticut Sun” logo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/wnba/100/con.png”][/teamlogo] | [teamlogo league=”nba” shadow=”true” link=”#3″ fullname=”Las Vegas Aces” logo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/757250_Aces.png”][/teamlogo] |
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[subheader sizedown=”false” center=”false” text=”Aces A’Ja Wilson Over Rebounds vs. Mercury” subtext=”10 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN2″ logo1url=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/757250_Aces.png”][/subheader]
By Jim Turvey
This bet is in part due to Brittney Griner being in a walking boot a couple of days ago.
If she’s indeed out, this will be a hammer spot, and the only thing I’d be worried about is a blowout. I’m guessing Wilson’s number will be around 9.5, which is what she averaged a season ago.
This Mercury frontcourt is paper-thin, and then you add Griner’s absence to the fold. I don’t know how the Mercury are going to rebound this year. Now, in Game 1, they have to face arguably the best rebounder in the game. It’s as simple as that.
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