With four games remaining in the WNBA regular season, the Indiana Fever are in a dogfight. At 26-14, they’re tied with the Atlanta Dream for the fourth playoff seed and one game behind the third seed. However, they are only two games ahead of the 6-8 seeds in the playoff race. Home-court advantage for the first round is still up in the air. The Toronto Tempo are well outside the postseason picture, but will relish the chance to take down the Fever and play the spoiler.
The Fever enter as 12.5-point road favorites with -750 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Tempo are +525 underdogs, with the game total set at 189.5 points.
Let’s dive into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Fever-Tempo matchup.
Fever vs. Tempo Preview
This is the third and final regular-season matchup between these two teams. So far, the matchup has been very kind to the Fever and their offense. Back in June, Indiana stomped Toronto 113-91 at home, fueled by the elite offensive duo of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. The next matchup in August was considerably closer, a 101-95 road win for the Fever; once again, Clark and Mitchell piled it on, combining for 53 points.
This matchup looks very different because of the injury report. Toronto’s big three contributors—Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, and Aneesah Morrow—are all out for the rest of the season. So much of this team is built on having an excellent scoring backcourt; with Mabrey and Sykes banged up all season, their identity has been adrift. The Fever have a big advantage: zero players are listed on their injury report.
For the Fever, the key is to keep the good times rolling. Toronto had no answer for Aliyah Boston on the roll in the first matchup, and they can afford to keep things simple here. Spam the CC-Boston pick-and-roll, put Mitchell in good isolation spots, and stay as sound as you can defensively. That’s proven to be a winning formula so far, and there’s no reason for head coach Stephanie White to rock the boat.
Toronto’s formula is much harder; things have been in a tailspin for a while, and head coach Sandy Brondello is running out of answers. They’ve lost 20 of their last 22 games, going from playoff hopefuls to lottery locks. Two key players can carry the load: Kiki Rice and Isabelle Harrison. The rookie Rice is getting a test run as the lead guard without Mabrey and Sykes, and the results have been mixed. But the potential is certainly there, and if she’s knocking down her shots, the Fever will feel the heat. Harrison has been the steadiest paint presence for the Tempo this year; her battle on the boards with Boston will carry a lot of weight in this matchup.
The X-factor here is Lexie Hull. Indiana’s top perimeter defender, Hull will guard Kiki Rice all night. If she can handle that matchup, the Fever are sure to pull out the victory; if she lets the rookie run wild, their chances lessen considerably. It’s a burden she is used to, but a burden all the same.
Now that we know these two teams a bit better, who will take home the win?
Fever vs. Tempo Pick, Best Bet
If the Tempo were at full strength, this would be a much more compelling matchup. Unfortunately, they’re up a creek trying to keep pace with this historic Fever offense. Indiana will run riot to secure the season series sweep.
