Wednesday brings a five-game WNBA slate headlined by a meeting between the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty in the Big Apple at 7:30 p.m. EST. It’s sure to provide fans with a treat as Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston face off against one of the league’s best teams headlined by Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, meaning the stars are truly on display in this one.
Here’s a Liberty vs. Fever prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for the outing.
Liberty vs. Fever preview, prediction
The home-team Liberty are third in the WNBA standings and first in the Eastern Conference at 14-6. The reigning champs still look like a top contender in this league with a superb collection of top-end talent, though the absence of Jonquel Jones due to injury continues to hold them back from their ceiling. Still, the duo of Stewart and Ionescu are one of the best in all of pro basketball — not just the WNBA. Stewart averages a cool 19.5 points, 6.7 boards and 3.8 assists while Ionescu posts averages of 18.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Their all-around production helps propel the Liberty to a WNBA-best 86.3 PPG on the fourth-best shooting percentage from both the field and from three. They also average the third-most assists per night thanks to those ball-dominant stars as well as Natasha Cloud’s team-high 6.1 dimes a night. With the defense allowing the fourth-fewest points per game to opponents, New York’s +/- sits second league-wide as does their 8.9 NETRTG.
The Fever aren’t quite a powerhouse like New York, but they’re still in conversations with dark horse contenders. Indiana now sits 12-10 after last night’s win over the Connecticut Sun, so it’s worth noting they come into this matchup on the second leg of a back-to-back. Unfortunately, Clark tweaked her groin during yesterday’s game and may or may not suit up for this contest depending on the severity of that injury. If she truly did reaggravate the groin issue which kept her out for multiple games earlier this year, the Fever take a hit in this one since Clark averages a near double-double with 16.7 points and 9.0 assists a night, the second-most of any player.
The Fever are third in scoring with 84.5 PPG with a league-high field-goal percentage and the sixth-most assists per game. Kelsey Mitchell actually paces the roster in scoring with 19.2 PPG while Aliyah Boston ranks third with 16.2 PPG and a team-high 7.9 boards per contest. Fourth-leading scorer Natasha Howard also faces her former team in this outing. The Indiana defense also ranks fairly similarly to New York’s and while they’re tied for sixth in opponent points per game, they’re third in both +/- and NETRTG (6.6).
Liberty vs. Fever pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Liberty as 10-point favorites at home in this one with -535 odds to win on the Moneyline. As for the Fever, they hold +400 odds of taking the victory on the road. The game total also sits at 164.5 combined points.
Despite the difference in win-loss record between these two teams, the spread feels a bit too large in this one. The Fever aren’t a flawless team but they’re better than their record suggests. Aliyah Boston in particular could give the Liberty defense some issues in the paint with Jonquel Jones still out injured, so she can certainly play a huge role in this one. Indiana has enough firepower to keep this competitive, and while I wouldn’t take them on the Moneyline, the spread looks like a great pick for Wednesday’s premier matchup.
If Clark plays, watch for the Fever to compete for a possible upset. If she doesn’t suit up the odds are stacked against Indiana, but they’ll still be capable of covering even against a quality opponent if the other stars show up.
Top Pick: IND Fever +10 (-110)
