The Fire are hosting the Mystics on Sunday night. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Washington is favored by 4.5 points and this game carries a total of 166.5 points.
Let’s get into my pick and prediction for this contest.
Fire vs. Mystics Preview
The Mystics are likely playoff bound for the first time since 2023. Washington is the No.7 seed at 21-15. Meanwhile, the Fire are on the outside looking in and they would need a miracle ending to their season to make the playoffs in the franchise’s debut season in the WNBA. Portland is the No.9 seed at 15-21, but the squad is 5.5 games back of the Wings for the No.8 seed with only eight games remaining in the regular season.
While the Fire’s chances of making the postseason are low, they should still approach tonight’s matchup as a must win and the Mystics should be highly motivated, too, as they absolutely can improve their seed before the playoffs with the standings so tight. Washington is currently only two games back of the Fever for the No.5 seed.
The Mystics are a better team, ranking eighth in net rating, compared to the Fire, who rank 11th, but Portland has played Washington very well in two matchups this season. Washington won the first tilt in a quadruple overtime thriller on June 28th, 124-123. Portland then got revenge in a big way on July 16th, blowing out the Mystics, 75-56. Both of these meetings were in Washington, but tonight’s matchup will be in Portland.
This season, the Fire are 8-10 at home while the Mystics are just 8-8 on the road. Entering this meeting, the Mystics have lost three of their last five, but these losses came against the defending champion Aces twice and the top-seeded Lynx once. The Fire, on the other hand, are playing some of their best basketball of the season, winning four of their last six, but it’s worth noting all these victories came against lottery bound clubs.
The Mystics are a defensive first team that is led by Shakira Austin and Sonia Citron while the Fire are an offensive minded club led by Bridget Carleton and Carla Leite. The Fire were able to really bother Washington’s offense last time these clubs met, which was a rare sight for this Portland defense that ranks 13th in rating, so it will be interesting to see how the Mystics respond tonight.
If Washington can play their brand of basketball and lock it down on defense – the team ranks third in defensive rating – the Mystics will be in a strong position to win this game, but that is no guarantee, given how successful the Fire have been offensively in this matchup this season.
Fire vs. Mystics Pick, Best Bet
The Mystics are the better team and they should win this game coming off their loss to the Lynx. After a defeat this season, Washington is 9-5 SU.
However, it’s hard to ignore how well the Fire have played the Mystics and backing Portland to cover this 4.5-point spread makes sense. As a home underdog this season, Portland is 7-5 ATS.
