After both teams were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last year, they're back and better than ever. The Fever managed to crush the Sky in their first regular season game back, while the Dream barely fell to the Mystics. Now, facing off for the first time this season, we’ll get to see what these high-powered offenses look like against each other!
Sophie Cunningham Questionable
Jordin Canada Out
It’s Caitlin’s second year, and she emerged looking elite in game one of the regular season. Locking in a triple-double in the first game, she dominated the court with a powerful performance against the Sky. They controlled the game from the start, with a final score of 93-58. However, it wasn’t all Caitlin, as Aliyah Boston made significant contributions on offense. She scored 19 points in just 27 minutes on the court, shooting an impressive 8-12 from the field. The Fever also excelled defensively, making life difficult for the Sky with double-digit blocks and steals during the game, forcing the Sky into 17 turnovers. Ultimately, the Fever look dangerous as they head into the second game of the season.
The Dream are looking to bounce back, though, as they prepare for another tough road game. They played well in Washington but ultimately fell short in the second half. They kept it close, losing by just 4, but starting the season with an L is never ideal. Now facing the most hyped team in the WNBA, this could be a statement game for the Dream. Expect to see plenty of Rhyne Howard in this matchup. She played nearly the entire game in the first one, despite having a tough shooting night. Griner should be the player to watch, though. The Fever aren’t a massive team, and even though she’s toward the later stage of her career, she can still cause chaos in the paint.
Overall, the game will come down to shooting for the Dream. They had some off nights from their stars, so if they can get Howard back and another solid performance out of Alisha Gray from deep, they should be able to keep pace, and keeping pace is essential against the Fever. The Fever will look to push the tempo and convert defense into offense. They made it through the Sky with ease, and Clark is on a warpath.
I'm feeling the Fever in this matchup, though. They’re the faster, more tenacious team. Especially if shots dry up on either side, I expect the Fever's defense to be the deciding factor in this game. Even giving up size down low to Griner likely won’t be a problem if they can maintain the pace and wear her down. So I’m taking the Fever moneyline, over 172.5 points, and Atlanta spread!
Money line: ATL (+270) / IND (-340)
Total Points: 172.5
Spread: +7.5 ATL (-112) / -7.5 IND (-108)
Caitlin is back and looking solid in game one. She was just below this line against the Sky, snagging 20 points, but the big thing was her shooting. She shot 50% from three and 6-13 from the field to round out her triple-double in game one. If she’s able to find her shot that consistently again, she should be right back in this ballpark tonight against the Dream.
In the Dream’s season opener, Griner pulled down 8 boards in under 30 minutes. Even though she’s on the older side these days, she still has elite size to get inside and secure the rebounds. Especially against the Fever, she should have a significant size advantage overall. 8 rebounds should be well within her range again.
Howard had a bit of a slow start in game one. She shot 25% from three, but she still had plenty of attempts, which is what matters for this line. She was 3-12 on the night from three, but played a solid 37 minutes. If she gets a similar run tonight with the same shot volume, she’ll be well within range of this line!
Even though Mitchell is one of the best shooters on the court, she’s now sharing the workload with Clark, which has slightly decreased her attempts from three. She only managed to take four attempts but made two in game one. With a career average of around six attempts per game, I expect that number to increase, but I still think she’ll ultimately come up short again. Especially if she attacks the glass like she did against the Sky.