The Indiana Fever resume their quest to return to the WNBA playoffs after they host the Phoenix Mercury on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana has not certified for the postseason since 2016 when it misplaced within the first spherical. However this 12 months, behind rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, the Fever (11-15) sit in seventh place within the WNBA standings. They’re a half sport forward of the eighth-place Sky and three video games forward of the ninth-place Dream. The highest eight groups on the conclusion of the common season on Sept. 19 will qualify for the playoffs. In the meantime Phoenix (14-12) is coming off an 85-65 victory over Chicago on Thursday.
Tipoff is ready for 7:30 p.m. ET. Indiana is a 3-point favourite within the newest Fever vs. Mercury odds, whereas the over/beneath is 173.5. Earlier than you lock in any Mercury vs. Fever picks or WNBA predictions, it’s essential see what SportsLine’s Calvin Wetzel has to say.
Wetzel, HerHoopStats.com’s lead betting author, incorporates his mathematical background and robust data of ladies’s hoops to show the location’s prediction mannequin into picks. After teaming up with Aaron Barzilai, a Ph.D. from Stanford, Wetzel is an unimaginable 1,385-988 (+372.33 models) on ladies’s school basketball picks for the reason that begin of the 2021-22 season. He is additionally coming off a terrific 2023 season with a 238-185-1 total document that featured a return on funding of practically 7%. Anybody following him has seen large returns.
Now, Wetzel has damaged down Fever vs. Mercury from each angle and simply revealed his picks and predictions. You may go to SportsLine now to see his picks. Listed below are the strains and tendencies for Mercury vs. Fever:
- Fever vs. Mercury unfold: Indiana -3
- Fever vs. Mercury over/beneath: 173.5 factors
- Fever vs. Mercury moneyline: Indiana -165, Phoenix +140
- IND: Caitlin Clark leads the WNBA in assists per sport (8.2)
- PHO: Kahleah Copper ranks second within the league in scoring (23.2 factors per sport)
- Fever vs. Mercury picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Fever can cowl
After a sluggish begin, Indiana has turned its season round. Over their first 9 video games, the Fever went 1-8. However with extra relaxation between video games since then, they’ve gone 10-7, together with two wins over Phoenix. One of many causes for the workforce’s turnaround has been the improved play of Clark, who has averaged 11.9 assists per sport over her final 9 regular-season video games.
As well as, Indiana would be the extra rested workforce on Friday evening. The Fever might be taking part in their first sport after the Olympic break and have just one Olympian on their roster, Australian Kristy Wallace, who is just not amongst their core. In the meantime the Mercury might be taking part in the second half of a back-to-back after taking part in in Chicago on Thursday evening. See picks at SportsLine.
Why the Mercury can cowl
Phoenix has among the best scorers within the league in Kahleah Copper. The four-time WNBA All-Star and former WNBA Finals MVP and ranks second within the league in scoring (23.2 factors per sport). Within the gold medal sport towards France, Copper scored 10 fourth-quarter factors to assist Workforce USA to a one-point win.
As well as, Brittney Griner is likely one of the greatest bigs within the WNBA. The 6-foot-9 Griner averages 18.6 factors and 6.4 rebounds a sport this season whereas taking pictures 55.8% from the sphere. Earlier this month she helped Workforce USA to the gold medal on the Paris Olympics. See the picks at SportsLine.
Easy methods to make Fever vs. Mercury picks
Wetzel has analyzed Mercury vs. Fever from each angle, and he is leaning Over on the purpose whole. He has additionally discovered a crucial X-factor that has him leaping throughout one facet of the unfold in addition to a participant prop. He is sharing what it’s, and which facet to again, solely at SportsLine.
So who wins Fever vs. Mercury on Friday, and what crucial X-factor makes one facet of the unfold a must-back? Go to SportsLine now to see which facet of the unfold to leap on, all from the skilled with a historical past of crushing his ladies’s basketball picks, and discover out.