After dropping two games in three days to the Atlanta Dream, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever come home to host the Phoenix Mercury at 8 p.m. ET on Monday night.
Indiana had won four straight overall, and six straight at home, before running into Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and the Dream over the weekend. Atlanta scored 221 points, including a franchise-record 113 on Saturday, in sweeping the home-and-home with the Fever.
Clark had 26 points and 7 assists, but also turned the ball over 7 times in the 113-96 setback in Atlanta on Saturday. Kelsey Mitchell scored all 16 of her points in the first half, and Aliyah Boston chipped in with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
French international Valeriane Ayayi posted career-highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Mercury offered a new look in their 93-73 triumph over the Seattle Storm on Saturday.
Kahlean Copper added 17 points, followed by Noemie Brochant with a career-high 16 points and 10 assists, and Natasha Mack with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Lexi Held had 11 points, just her second time in double-digits this season, in her first career start.
Veterans Alyssa Thomas (8 pts, 9 REB) and DeWanna Bonner (10 pts) as Phoenix, which reached the WNBA Finals last season, improved to 5-12. The win snapped a four-game losing streak.
Is this the start of something new for the beleaguered Mercury, or will Indiana return to its winning ways at home, where it is 6-3 this season?
Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever betting picks and predictions
Indiana Fever -7.5 (-110)
The Mercury are perhaps the biggest head scratchers in the WNBA this year. After finishing 27-17 during the regular season, Copper, Thomas, Bonner, Mack and company rolled through the Liberty and Lynx to reach the finals. They were swept by the Aces, but nothing about that deep postseason run alluded to the poor start endured by the team this spring.
Injuries aren’t the culprit either. With the exception of Monique Akoa Makani, who has missed eight games and is out tonight with a hamstring issue, the Mercury’s regular rotation players have missed little or no games. It’s just a poor start. Did Saturday’s victory over the lowly Storm change things?
Indiana had turned a corner before running into the surging Dream. Clark, who is third in the league in scoring, is averaging 26 points per game over her last five contests. She is second in the league in assists, behind Phoenix’s Thomas (8.4 AST), with 8.1. That number does reflect a career-low, however, and is often negated by her turnovers, although she is averaging a career-low 4.8 per game there.
But, she is healthy, although she is consistently listed as probable with a lingering back issue. Clark has already played more games this season than she did all of last year.
The Fever have won 6 of 7 at home, with only the ascendant Dream able to solve them at Gainbridge Field House.
Look for Indiana to return to winning ways at home tonight and cover the 7.5-point spread in the process.
Under 177.5 points (-110)
The Fever have easily surpassed this total in 4 of the past 5 games, and Indiana is allowing 89.7 points per game after getting torched by Atlanta over the weekend.
On the flip side, Phoenix has only surpassed 177.5 points with its opponent once in its past seven games, and the Mercury will look to slow the game down and limit possessions this evening.
Look for Phoenix and Indiana to play to the Under tonight.
Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever odds
Phoenix Mercury | +235 |
Indiana Fever | -290 |
Spread | IND Fever -7.5 |
Total Points | O/U 177.5 |
Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever player props
Player Points
Kahleah Copper (PHO Mercury) | O/U 19.5 |
Alyssa Thomas (PHO Mercury) | O/U 14.5 |
DeWanna Bonner (PHO Mercury) | O/U 10.5 |
Caitlin Clark (IND Fever) | O/U 20.5 |
Kelsey Mitchell (IND Fever) | O/U 19.5 |
Aliyah Boston (IND Fever) | O/U 16.5 |
Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever team news
Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury, with the exception of Moakani, are healthy for this evening’s contest. It will be interesting to see the roles Ayayi, Brochant, and Held play going forward. At the very least, they provide depth and an infusion of youth to a veteran squad.
Indiana Fever
In her eighth season, and second with the Fever, Cunningham continues to provide instant offense off the bench. She is averaging 10.4 points, her first time in double digits since 2023 with Phoenix. She spent her first six seasons with the Mercury and averaged 15 points in two games against them last season in her Indiana debut.
Read the latest WNBA news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
