Down the stretch of a heated WNBA playoff race, two distinct tiers have formed. The Aces, Dream, Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury are in one tier, fighting for seeds 2–5, all within two games of one another. The next tier includes the Indiana Fever, Storm, and Valkyries, jockeying for seeds 6–8. Incredibly, those three teams are all within one-half game of each other. To say that this game is extremely important would be an understatement.
The Mercury are six-point favorites at home and hold -238 odds on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 165 points. Let’s take a look at the best bets and predictions for this Fever–Mercury matchup.
Fever vs. Mercury prediction, pick
The Fever have done an admirable job of keeping this season together despite Caitlin Clark’s injury struggles. Aliyah Boston’s breakout has continued, the role players are hitting their marks, and Kelsey Mitchell has taken a massive leap as a scorer. But it seems the grind of the season is wearing them down; they’ve lost seven of their last 11 contests, fading from top-four territory to the back of the postseason race. Any further slide could threaten their playoff status, with the Los Angeles Sparks waiting in the wings.
It’s been a strange season for the Mercury as well. Adding Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally—along with other role players—has been both a smashing success and a serious challenge to integrate in one season. There have been some rough spots to smooth out, but on the whole, talent wins out. That’s why the Mercury find themselves in contention for the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs. A win on Tuesday would put them in a three-way tie with the Las Vegas Aces and the Atlanta Dream with four games to play.
All things go through AT. She put a bow on an all-time month of August, averaging 14.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 9.2 assists over 13 games. Her season averages are placing her in a stratosphere of basketball company that few have reached.
With Indiana seemingly running out of gas, and Phoenix riding an absurd hot streak from one of the best players in the game, it’s tough to see the Fever hanging tough in this contest.
