Bettor Backs Liberty -2.5 and Mystics -3.5 in 2 WNBA Matchups

Q: Why did league officials issue a severe suspension without ever speaking to the team's coaching staff?

League officials appear to have relied on their standard postgame video-review authority rather than conducting a broader fact-finding process with the Mercury staff. Under WNBA rules, the league office can review a play after the game, upgrade a non-call to a Flagrant 2, and impose discipline if it determines there was unnecessary, excessive, or “non-basketball” contact. In Alyssa Thomas’s case, the league said she “recklessly” made contact with Caitlin Clark’s throat area and issued a one-game suspension on that basis, even though no foul was called live. Nate Tibbetts’ complaint was not that the league lacked authority to suspend Thomas, but that it used that authority without speaking to him, Thomas, or team security. He said the investigation was “not thorough” because no one from the league asked the Mercury side what happened before making the ruling. There is no indication in the reporting that the WNBA was required to interview the coaching staff before acting. The evidence cited publicly was the game footage itself and the league’s own review process. That is why the suspension could be severe and still come without staff interviews: the decision was treated as a video-based disciplinary review, not as a hearing that required testimony from the team. This is also why the case fueled criticism about transparency, consistency, and whether the league’s process was sufficiently rigorous in a high-profile incident involving Caitlin Clark.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 27

New York -2.5 and Washington -3.5 are the two WNBA picks for Thursday’s slate, with the author passing on baseball because no MLB spots looked strong enough.
New York gets the nod despite Golden State’s strong second season because the Liberty have won 10 of their last 13 games, are 13-5 at home, and own a 13.5-point average home margin.
Golden State still enters as a difficult matchup: only three players average more than 10 points, but eight average at least six, giving the Valkyries unusual scoring balance.
Washington is favored again after beating Phoenix by 10 points two days ago, backed by three 15-point scorers and the emergence of recent draft picks Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.
Phoenix’s collapse frames that pick: the Mercury are 13-25 overall and 5-13 at home after last season’s Finals run, with injuries and roster upheaval including DeWanna Bonner’s release and Kelsey Plum’s health issues.