It’s going to be a heated battle for the last few spots in the WNBA playoffs. The sixth through ninth seeds are separated by only one and a half games. Our current sixth and seventh seeds, respectively, are the Las Vegas Aces and the Indiana Fever. Those two will square off on Thursday in a game with huge implications for the league standings and playoff picture.
At 12-11, the Aces are riding a three-game winning streak into this matchup. A’ja Wilson has been her monstrous MVP self over that stretch and has pulled Vegas back from the brink. Meanwhile, the Fever are struggling through yet another Caitlin Clark absence. They lost back-to-back games against the Liberty, falling back to a .500 record. Both of these teams will be scrapping for every win as the stretch run approaches.
The Aces are 2.5-point favorites on the road at -155 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 163.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this contest.
Fever vs. Aces prediction, pick
The major swing in this game is the absence of Caitlin Clark. Indiana’s All-Star will miss yet another game due to a groin injury, leaving the Fever at a huge disadvantage. It also comes at a time when the Aces have gotten back to full health. A’ja Wilson’s concussion has clearly healed and Jackie Young has recovered from her hip injury. It’s bad timing for a game of this magnitude from Indiana’s perspective.
However, these lineups were the same last time these teams faced off. That resulted in an 81-54 victory for the Fever as their defense suffocated everyone not named A’ja Wilson. The MVP had 29 points in this one; no teammates scored more than six. They have a strong formula for containing opponents on the perimeter between Lexie Hull, Sophie Cunningham, and Kelsey Mitchell. Additionally, Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard are patrolling the paint. It’s a tough formula for this subpar Aces offense to overcome.
There’s a better balance to Indiana’s offensive attack, even without Clark. Mitchell has been incredible without Clark while Boston has taken a real step on offense, and they have a deep cast of role players who can hit shots. Even without their best player, I consider Indiana the better team in this matchup, one with considerable value on the Moneyline. Get it before the value drops.
