The Wings are hosting the Fire on Tuesday night. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Dallas is favored by 8.5 points and this game carries a total of 177.5 points.
Let’s get into my pick and prediction for this contest.
Wings vs. Fire Preview
The Wings and Fire split their first two matchups of the season in nail biters. Portland won the first matchup on its home floor, 84-83, before Dallas got revenge in the second matchup which was also in Portland, 101-97.
These clubs sit next to each other in the standings, but there is a big gap. The Wings hold the final playoff spot as the No. 8 seed at 22-16 while the Fire are the No. 9 seed, but 6.5 games back of Dallas at 15-22. The Wings and Fire only have six and seven games remaining in the regular season, respectively. If Dallas wins tonight’s matchup, the club clinches a playoff spot and officially eliminates Portland.
While these clubs sit near each other in the standings, the Wings rank far better in net rating at seventh, whereas the Fire rank 11th. The Wings got word they will be without No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd (knee) for the rest of the season last week and were on a bad path without her, dropping four of their first five after she got hurt. Dallas has turned things around, winning two in a row. First the Wings beat the Fever, 91-85, then blew out the Storm, 92-70.
Fudd is a terrific defender and replacing her is a tough task, but Awak Kuier has started in these past two wins and has been a real difference-maker on the defensive end. With Kuier on the court this season, the Wings’ defensive rating is 5.2 points per 100 possessions better than with her off, and she should continue to start tonight. Paige Bueckers is also coming off a 32-point outing vs. the Storm, and Jessica Sheppard recently dominated the Fever for 28 points.
The Wings appear to have their mojo back and should be a confident group tonight on their home floor, where they are 12-6 this season. As for the Fire, they have dropped two consecutive games, but they did win four of their previous five before this – although all these victories did come against lottery bound teams.
Portland has some strong scorers at the helm in Carla Leite and Bridget Carleton, but this team struggles mightily to slow down opposing offenses, ranking second-to-last in defensive rating. Both Leite and Carleton will need to have big performances if the Fire want to win tonight, but that feels like a big ask with the Wings playing strong defense again.
Wings vs. Fire Pick, Best Bet
The Wings are without a doubt the better team than the Fire, so Dallas should clinch its playoff spot with the club’s third straight win tonight.
With the Wings playing great defense again with Kuier starting, backing this game for under its 177.5-point total makes a ton of sense, especially with this game in Dallas. The Wings are 22-16 towards the under overall and 13-5 towards the under at home this season, both of which are league-best marks.
