Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever Preview, Prediction and Odds - 9/6/21
It’s an interconference contest on the WNBA hardwood in the Hoosier State between teams with different situations in regards to the postseason. The Phoenix Mercury are on the road as they play the second game of a two-game set with the Indiana Fever Monday afternoon. In the opening game of the series Saturday afternoon, Phoenix used a big third-quarter advantage en route to an 87-65 victory to ensure no worse than a split. The Mercury have won nine of the last 11 meetings between the teams. That includes both matchups this season as Phoenix took an 84-80 home win in the first meeting August 17 before prevailing Saturday.
Phoenix Mercury Seeking Ninth Straight Win
Phoenix had their issues early but managed to take control of the game in the second half to down Indiana and run their win streak to eight games. The Mercury improved to 17-10 on the year and stood fifth in the WNBA playoff picture, four games behind the league-leading Sun entering Sunday’s action. They have clinched a playoff berth. On Saturday, Phoenix trailed by two after the opening quarter, by four at the half and remained down four early in the third quarter before reeling off a 10-0 run to go up 52-46 with 5:58 to play in the third. That was part of a massive 36-9 bulge in the stanza to take control and went on to the win. Phoenix shot 45.5% from the field, including nine of 27 from three-point range, and limited Indiana to 36.4% shooting in the contest. Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 22 points in the win.
The Mercury are 5th in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 82.6 points per game. Phoenix is second in rebounding (37 rebounds) per contest and stand fifth in the league by handing out 19.6 assists a night. The Mercury are fourth in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 79.1 points per game. Skylar Diggins-Smith is second on the Mercury in scoring with 19 points plus 5.3 assists a night. Brittney Griner (20.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, two blocks), Diana Taurasi (15.5 points, 4.9 assists) and Brianna Turner (7.9 points, 9.4 rebounds) are solid scoring options. Kia Nurse (9.2 points), Kia Vaughn, Megan Walker, Sophie Cunningham, Shey Peddy and Alanna Smith are other role players for coach Sandy Brondello. Phoenix is fourth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 44.6% as a team from the floor. The Mercury is tied for 5th in three-pointers per game (7.4 per game) and 8th in three-point shooting (33.6%) this season. Phoenix is 9th in the WNBA in free throw shooting as they cash in 79.4% of their chances on the year.
Indiana Fever Trying to Keep Faint Playoff Hopes Alive
Indiana played solid basketball for a half before getting overwhelmed in a third-quarter blitz by the Mercury buried them. The Fever entered Sunday 11th in the WNBA standings, 3.5 games behind the Liberty for the final playoff spot with six games to go. Indiana led by two after the opening quarter and held a four-point edge at the half on Saturday before things unraveled. The Fever was blown out 36-9 in the third quarter to find themselves in a 23-point hole and couldn’t make a push after that. Indiana was limited to 36.4% from the floor, including three of 17 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 15 times. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 18 points in the loss.
The Fever comes into this game 11th in the league in scoring offense with 74.6 points per game. Indiana is seventh in the league in rebounding (35 boards per contest) and is 11th in the league in assists with an average of 16.2 dimes per game. The Fever are 10th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 84 points a night. Kelsey Mitchell is one of three players for the Fever averaging in double figures with 16.7 points a night. Teaira McCowan (11.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks) and Danielle Robinson (9.9 points, 3.7 assists) are good secondary options. Tiffany Mitchell (12 points), Jantel Lavender, Bernadett Hatar, Victoria Vivians, Jessica Breland, Lindsey Allen, Kysre Gondrezick and Chelsey Perry are looked at to contribute for coach Marianne Stanley. Indiana is 10th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 41.2% as a team on the year. The Fever are 12th in threes per game (4.6) while standing 12th by hitting 27.6% of their long-range attempts. Indiana is 10th in free throw shooting as they sink 78.7% of their chances at the stripe this season. Hatar is out indefinitely with an ankle injury while Gondrezick is taking a personal leave and has no timetable for return. Perry (knee) also has been ruled out for the year. Robinson (ankle) is questionable for this contest after missing the last few games.
Pick: Phoenix Mercury
Outside of Connecticut, there isn’t a hotter team in the league right now than the Mercury, who have been lighting it up on the way to eight straight wins. Phoenix has gotten great production from their veteran trio of Griner, Diggins-Smith and Taurasi, while putting up some big numbers. The Mercury have played well on the road this season, going 10-3 as the visiting team while outscoring them by an average of 8.5 points per game. Indiana showed they can play well in spurts as they held the edge at the half before getting buried in the third quarter. The Fever are missing pieces and Danielle Robinson is questionable here, which could take another piece out of the mix here. Indiana is just 4-10 at home and they can’t keep up for a full game with the Mercury. Phoenix keeps rolling with a two-game sweep by prevailing here.
Total: Under
Phoenix has seen the under hit in four of their last six games coming into this contest. The Mercury, for the season, have seen the under go 14-12-1 in their contests entering this game. Indiana is the league’s second-worst scoring offense, ahead of only the Sparks, and the under has hit in 16 of their 26 games this season. After seeing 164 points in the first meeting this season, the total dropped to 152 points in Saturday’s contest as the Fever mustered only 21 second half points in the loss. That marked just the second time in the last 10 meetings that the teams stayed under the total. With that in mind, Indiana doesn’t score much and Phoenix is more than content to squeeze the life out of their opponent to earn a win. This one ends up short of the mark.
