The Valkyries are hosting the Fever on Sunday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Indiana is favored by two points and this game presents a total of O/U 159.5 points.
Below, I break down the matchup between the Valkyries and Fever and give a pick for the game.
Valkyries vs. Fever preview, prediction
The Valkyries and Fever are neck and neck in the standings with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season. Indiana is the No. 6 seed at 21-18, while Golden State is only a half game back as the No. 8 seed at 20-18, which is the final spot for the playoffs.
Sunday’s matchup is important for both the Valkyries and Fever, and this is the third and final time this season these clubs will go head-to-head. Golden State is 2-0 vs. Indiana this season and both of these wins came by double-digits, which is impressive, as Caitlin Clark (groin) and Sophie Cunningham (knee) were available for the Fever for both of these tilts.
This time around, both of these key players are sidelined. Still, Indiana has strung together back-to-back wins without both Clark and Cunningham, defeating the Storm and the Sparks this past week, thanks to some impressive play from Aliyah Boston. Since the All-Star break, the Fever are 9-7 and rank seventh in net rating.
Meanwhile, the Valkyries are 10-6 and rank fourth in net rating in this span. As the club fights to hang onto that final playoff spot, Golden State has won back-to-back games, including a 37-point blowout win over Washington yesterday. While playing two games in two nights is never easy, the Valkyries’ starters all saw limited minutes Saturday, given that the team ran away with such an easy win. Plus, this game took place in Golden State, which will be the case again tonight, so the Valkyries haven’t traveled since their last away game, which was last Sunday in Dallas.
Valkyries vs. Fever pick, best bet
While the Fever have the rest advantage, this isn’t your usual second leg of a back-to-back set for the Valkyries after the team’s easy win over the Mystics yesterday. Golden State should take care of business at home on Sunday and improve to 3-0 vs. Indiana this season.
Golden State is 10-7 at home this season, whereas Indiana is just 10-9 on the road. The Valkyries should have been favored for this matchup and attacking them to win this contest at +114 on the Moneyline is a great call.
