Portland Fire vs. Indiana Fever WNBA Preview and Prediction
The expansion Portland Fire go on the road for the first time as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Fever Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Fire went a respectable 2-2 in their season-opening four-game homestand. That includes a last-minute, 83-82 victory over winless Connecticut on Monday. Bridget Carleton and Sarah Ashlee Barker each had 18 points, followed by Emily Engstler with 15. Sug Sutton had 12 points, including the game-winning basket with 22.6 seconds left, and added a team-high 5 assists.
Caitlin Clark continued her hot start to the season, leading the Fever in Sunday’s 89-78 home triumph over the Seattle Storm with 21 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham each had 17 points, while Aliyah Boston missed the first game of her professional career with a lower-leg injury.
These are two of the worst-scoring defences in the league, with Indiana allowing nearly 92 points a game, and the Fire surrendering 94 points per contest.
Portland Fire vs. Indiana Fever WNBA Odds and Betting Trends
Indiana sits as a heavy 13-point favourite on the WNBA odds with a -900 moneyline. Portland is at +600. Both teams are 1-3 against the spread this season.
The Over/Under for this contest is 180.5. The Fire have played to the Over in three of their four games, while the Fever have split their first four contests to the Over. This is the first meeting between these squads, and the Fire’s first road contest, so things definitely won’t be easy for Portland.
Portland Fire
Coach Alex Sarama has guided the Fire to two early wins, building excitement in a city that lost the previous iteration of this franchise after just two seasons in 2002. Bridget Carleton, a steady if unspectacular reserve for Minnesota the past seven seasons, is averaging double figures for the first time in her career. She is averaging 17 points a game for Portland and ranks in the league’s top five for both steals and three-pointers made per game.
Carla Leite leads the team with 19.5 points, but she has only played in two contests. She is questionable this evening with a right ankle injury.
Indiana Fever
The Clark revival is on. After averaging 16.5 points and 8.8 assists in just 13 games last year, Clark is fifth in the league with 24.3 points per game and leads the WNBA in assists with 9.0 per contest. She and Mitchell, who is averaging 23.5 points per game, are the highest scoring duo in the league in the opening weeks of the season.
Boston is the key interior member of this prolific triumvirate. She is averaging just 12 points and 5.0 rebounds, though, and her streak of 275 consecutive games played between college and the pros came to an end the other night. She sat out the win over Seattle with a lower right leg injury. However, Boston practiced on Tuesday and is cleared for Wednesday.
WNBA Prediction: Who will win Fire vs. Fever?
The Fire have played respectably so far, winning two games, including a 98-96 triumph over the New York Liberty. But their two wins have come by a combined three points, and their two losses each came by double digits.
Indiana might still be undefeated if it played some semblance of defence. The Fever’s two defeats have come by a combined five points, but they also allowed more than 100 points in each of those setbacks. That shouldn’t be the case here. Look for Indiana to win the game, but for Portland to cover the steep, 13-point spread as underdogs. Take the Fever, 96-87.