Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever Prediction and Odds - 6/24/21
It’s an interconference battle on the hardwood as a pair of WNBA teams take the floor in the Hoosier State. The Dallas Wings are on the road as they make the trip to face the Indiana Fever Thursday night. Dallas was dropped 80-70 on the road by Connecticut Tuesday night in their most recent contest. Indiana was dropped 82-77 at home by Washington in their previous game Saturday afternoon. The Wings swept both meetings in the bubble last season, including an 82-78 win as the “road” team in the most recent matchup on August 29, 2020. As a result of those victories, the teams have split the last 10 meetings.
Dallas Wings Hoping to Bounce Back vs. League-Worst Fever
Dallas lost for the third time in four games as they were knocked off on the road by Connecticut in their previous contest. The Wings entered Wednesday 6-8 on the season and held the final playoff spot in the WNBA though they had the same record as the Lynx, Sparks and Dream, who hold spots nine through 11 in the standings. Dallas trailed by as many as seven in the opening quarter but cut the deficit to one after the opening quarter. The Wings took an eight-point lead at the half before things came apart. Dallas was outscored 28-15 in the third quarter to trail by five heading to the final quarter. The Wings couldn’t get closer than four the rest of the way as they went down in defeat. Dallas shot 44.3% from the field, including six of 14 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 37-27. Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 18 points, five assists and three steals in the loss.
The Wings come into this one fourth in the league in scoring with 84.2 points per game this season. Dallas is first in rebounding (38 boards per contest) but rank 10th in the league in assists with 17.6 per game. The Wings are struggling defensively, ranking 7th by allowing 82.6 points per contest. Arike Ogunbowale (20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists) is one of three players scoring in double figures for the Wings this season. Allisha Gray (9.8 points), Marina Mabrey (15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, three assists), Isabelle Harrison (7.9 points, 6.3 rebounds) and Kayla Thornton (9.2 points, 6.1 rebounds) are all capable scoring options as well. Charli Collier, Tyasha Harris, Chelsea Dungee, Awak Kuier, Moriah Jefferson, Satou Sabally (13.1 points, 5.5 boards), Dana Evans, Kristine Anigwe and Bella Alarie all can be looked to for minutes for coach Brian Agler. The Wings are eighth in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 41.8% as a team. Dallas is fourth in three-pointers per game (8.6) and stand second in the league in three-point shooting as they hit 36.8% from long range. The Wings are fourth in free throw shooting as they convert 82.5% of their chances at the stripe.
Indiana Fever Trying to Snap Lengthy Skid
Indiana dropped their 10th straight game as they were unable to come up with the win on the road against the Mystics. The Fever fell to 1-14 on the season and are in the basement of the WNBA standings, 5.5 games behind the Wings for the final playoff spot. Indiana led 8-0 out of the gate and led by as many as 12 in the first half before things started to unravel. After going up 31-19 with 8:34 to play in the first half, the Fever was outscored 27-8 the rest of the half to trail by seven at intermission. Indiana rallied to tie the game after three quarters and held a 67-66 lead with 5:56 to play before fading. The Fever gave up a 12-4 run over the next four-plus minutes to trail 78-71 with 1:40 to play and couldn’t get back into the contest. Indiana shot 44.8% from the field, including four of 13 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 40-36. Danielle Robinson led the Fever with 19 points, four rebounds and six assists in the loss.
The Fever comes into this game 11th in the league in scoring offense with 74.5 points per game. Indiana is ninth in the league in rebounding (34.9 boards per contest) and is 11th in the league in assists with an average of 17.4 dimes per game. The Fever are 12th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 87.9 points a night. Kelsey Mitchell is one of three players for the Fever averaging in double figures with 15.5 points a night. Teaira McCowan (11.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks) and Danielle Robinson (eight points, 3.2 assists) are good secondary options. Tiffany Mitchell (11.4 points), Jantel Lavender, Bernadett Hatar, Victoria Vivians, Jessica Breland, Lindsey Allen, Kysre Gondrezick and Chelsey Perry are looked at to contribute for coach Pokey Chatman. Indiana is 10th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 41.3% as a team on the year. The Fever are 12th in threes per game (4.4) while standing 12th by hitting 26.5% of their long-range attempts. Indiana is 9th in free throw shooting as they sink 78% of their chances at the stripe this season. Hatar missed 11 games with an ankle injury, returned June 19 against Washington and is questionable here with a toe injury.
Pick: Dallas Wings
While Dallas has dropped three of their last four games, including a disappointing showing against Connecticut in their previous contest on the road, the fact remains that they are healthy. The Wings also are a very good offensive team and they have the ability to pile up points, which works in their favor here against an Indiana team that is last in scoring defense (87.9 ppg), field goal percentage defense (46.4%) and three-point field goal percentage defense (40.9%) this season. Indiana struggles on the offensive end of the floor and Dallas exploits their defensive issues to get the victory in this contest.
Total: Under
Despite their offensive weaponry, the Wings have actually had their issues when it comes to pushing over the total this season. Dallas has seen the under hit in eight of their 14 games this season with one push in the mix as well. The Wings have seen the under go 5-1-1 in their last seven games coming into this contest. For Indiana, despite all their issues on the defensive end of the floor, they have seen the under hit in eight of their 15 contests on the year. The Fever can’t be counted on to do enough damage offensively, even against a fellow struggling defensive team, to push this total. We’ve seen the under hit in each of the last seven meetings between these teams. Look for this contest to follow suit here.
