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Indiana Fever vs Connecticut Sun: Eastern Conference Playoffs – First round

The Connecticut Sun are hosting the Indiana Fever in Mohegan Sun Arena in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoff series on Sunday.

Caitlin Clark’s Playoff debut

The Indiana Fever finished the regular season third in the Eastern Conference with a 20-20 record including 8-12 on the road. They lost 3 of the last 4 games and finished the regular season with a 92-91 loss to the Washington Mystics. The Fever are third in the league scoring 85 points per game while shooting a league-best 45.6% from the field. Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark lead the team averaging 19.2 points per game.

Is this the season for the Sun?

The Connecticut Sun finished the regular season second in the Eastern Conference with a 28-12 record, including 14-6 at home. They won 4 of the last 6 games on the schedule and are coming off an 87-54 win over the Chicago Sky. The Sun are the best defensive team in the league allowing 73.6 points per game on the least allowed field goal attempts per game 63. DeWanna Bonner leads the team with 15 points per game, while Marina Mabrey averages 14.9.

Betting Trends

The Sun have been the moneyline favorite 32 total times this season and finished 26-6 in those games. When it has played as a moneyline favorite with odds of -225 or shorter, Connecticut has a record of 23-2. In nine games this season, Connecticut and its opponents have scored more than 163.5 combined points. The average point total in Sun games this season is 157.6, 5.9 points fewer than this matchup’s over/under. This season, the Fever have won eight out of the 25 games, or 32%, in which they’ve been the underdog. Indiana has entered 12 games this season as the underdog by +185 or more and is 3-9 in those contests. The Fever have combined with their opponent to score more than 163.5 points in 30 of 40 games this season. The average over/under for Indiana’s contests this season is 169.9, 6.4 more points than this game’s total.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Indiana Fever had a tough start to the season but managed to turn things around and make it to the playoffs. Caitlin Clark will make her postseason debut against the Connecticut Sun, who are dark horse candidates to win the title this season. The Fever won 84-80 in the last game against the Sun, which was their first win in the head-to-head games after Connecticut won the previous nine. The first round series are the best of three, so if the Fever win tonight, they will have a chance to close it out at home in the next one. However, the Sun are a much better team and will win this one by covering the -5-point spread.