The Fever are heading south to face the Wings in Dallas today. With the Fever starting to find their rhythm, this will be a tough game for the Wings. Even though they’ve kept games closer recently, the Wings still struggle to close out games. At the very least, expect this to be a high-scoring, action-packed game.
Caitlin Clark Out
Maddy Siegrist Questionable
Tyasha Harris Out
Even though the Wings haven’t secured many wins this season, the growth of this team has been impressive. Bueckers looks like an absolutely perfect pick and has raised this team's ceiling. They’ve gradually been improving their offense all season, even though the defense still struggles. Their lack of size continues to limit their team defense, turning most of their games into a physical battle. This makes for some exciting basketball, but it’s not a sustainable way to win. However, there might be a little hope on the horizon, as Maddy Siegrist could be returning soon. She’s not going to solve every problem if she comes back, but she’ll add some much-needed size and a solid rotational player. That might be all the Wings need to move closer to a 500 record with all the other improvements they’ve made.
The Fever, on the other hand, has been thriving even with Clark in and out of the lineup. With her still out, the Fever are on a 6-2 streak over their last 8 games, which has lifted them a few games above 500. Overall, this team is loaded with solid talent. We’ve seen many players step up this year like Cunningham, Hull, Mitchell, and now McDonald. It’s a next woman up system, and it’s working. Especially with Clark returning soon, this group is looking more dangerous every day. However, with Clark still out tonight, the Wings will be a solid matchup.
Both of these teams have plenty of scoring potential, but the Fever's defense should prevail tonight. They’ve been consistently more effective, which is why the Fever are 2-0 against the Wings. I believe we’ll see that same trend continue, with defense once again limiting the Wings. Unless Bueckers can explode offensively, I think the Fever will pull ahead of the Wings all night, just as they’ve already done twice this year. That’s why I’m betting on the Indy moneyline, the over on the 175 points total, and the -4.5 Fever spread.
Money line: IND (-185) / DAL (+154)
Total Points: 175
Spread: -4.5 IND (-105) / +4.5 DAL (-115)
Boston continues to perform well this season. Averaging 15.6 points per game, she has been one of the most efficient scorers on the team. Her recent game where she scored 22 points against the Mercury suggests that the Wings' lack of size might make it easier for her tonight. In her last two matchups against the Wings, she scored 17 and 21 points, so she has achieved this before. Unless Siegrist returns tonight, I believe Boston will easily reach 16+ points.
The over on Bueckers has been hitting at a solid rate lately. With her averaging over 18 points a game, she’s been consistently in the 20-point range recently. The Fever do have a strong defensive backcourt even without Clark. She’ll definitely face a tougher challenge than usual, but with the line set a few points lower and even odds, it’s not a bad bet at all. Especially considering Bueckers scored 27 and 21 in the other two games she played against the Fever.
With McDonald’s role increasing as Clark remains out, the results have been impressive. She scored 27 points on Wednesday against the Mercury, but her assist numbers have been inconsistent. However, after two games against the Wings, she’s recorded 6 assists in each. Since the over just needs 5, and McDonald is averaging 4.4 assists per game, I believe the over is the slightly better bet tonight despite the odds being less favorable.