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The WNBA continues to diversify their media platforms, and Amazon’s Prime Video will host Sunday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Sparks will look to bounce back this season after a disappointing 2021 when they missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. A 98-91 opening night win on Friday in overtime at last season’s WNBA Champion Chicago Sky is a reason for optimism. They’ve added perhaps the biggest offensive force in the league with four-time all-star Liz Cambage, and former WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike is still smarting after being left off the 2021 USA Olympic Team.
The Fever are in complete rebuild mode because this is a year with a number. After finishing 6-26 in 2021, the third time in four years they have finished with only six wins, they opened 2022 with an 84-70 loss at Washington. With four selections in the first round in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and the addition of 2020 Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield, there are some young pieces. But the playoffs seem very unlikely for the Knicks of women’s professional basketball.
Sparks vs. Fever
Tip time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Live stream: Prime Video (need subscription), WNBA League Pass
Point spread: Los Angeles -5.5
Moneyline odds: Los Angeles -240, Indiana +200
Picks & predictions
Pick: LA -5.5
Y’all: Indiana is terrrrrible.
Kelsey Mitchell remains surrounded by not nearly enough talent in the toughest league in the toughest pro basketball league in the world to get a roster spot. Queen Egbo played 23 minutes a night in college, but had to put in 20 in her first WNBA game. Crystal Dangerfield was a terrific waiver wire pickup, but there’s not one true impact player on this team. And in a league with just 12 franchises and a salary cap, that’s hard to do.
Six wins might look like victory at the end of 2022 unless something happens with this roster in a hurry.
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