INDIANA FEVER AT CHICAGO SKY EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — August 30, 2024

INDIANA FEVER AT CHICAGO SKY EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — August 30, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our WNBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins. One of the games on tap from today’s slate features the Indiana Fever (15-16 SU, 17-12 ATS) visiting the Chicago Sky (11-19 SU, 13-17 ATS).

Here is a look at which squad has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

When: Monday, August 30, 2024 @ 7:30 PM ET

Where: Wintrust Arena, Chicago,  IL

TV: ION

Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky – In-Season Stats & Betting Trends

The Fever have produced four wins in their last five outings following an 11-15 start. This includes consecutive victories against the Atlanta Dream (84-79) and the Connecticut Sun (84-80). In the win against Connecticut, Kelsey Mitchell paced the team’s offense with 23 points, four boards, and three dimes. Not only that, but she also converted four of seven attempts from beyond the arc. This marked the fifth consecutive game in which Mitchell has scored at least 20 points.

Caitlin Clark Shatters Yet Another WNBA Rookie Record

Caitlin Clark finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Although Clark shot just 3-of-12 from downtown, she broke the WNBA rookie record for 3-pointers, surpassing Rhyne Howard’s mark of 85 set back in 2022. Clark has 88 on the season.

Connecticut trimmed a nine-point halftime deficit to two points (82-80) with under 40 seconds to play in regulation. But with a chance to tie the game, Sun forward Alyssa Thomas committed a turnover. Lexi Hull — who was making her second start of the season for Indiana — converted a pair of free throws to give the Fever an 84-80 lead. Dijonai Carrington came up short on a three-point attempt as Indiana snapped its 11-game losing streak against the Sun.

Chicago Sky Look To End Their Four-Game Losing Streak

On the other hand, the Sky have struggled since league play resumed two weeks ago. Following a 10-15 start, Chicago has dropped five of its last six games and enters this tilt amid a four-game losing skid. This includes a 74-70 setback against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night. In that contest, Michaela Onyenwere led the offense with 15 points, making seven of 14 shots from the floor.

Dana Evans led the second unit with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. The team’s No. 3 draft pick, Kamilla Cordoso, posted her fifth double-double of the season. Her final stat line included 10 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. It is also worth mentioning that Angel Reese grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, marking the 24th straight game in which she has finished with double-digit rebounds.

The Sky led 68-61 with 4:38 left in the final frame. Unfortunately, they folded down the stretch as the Mystics finished the game with a 13-2 run. As a result, Chicago leads the Atlanta Dream by just one game for the final playoff berth.

“Growing pains suck,” Sky guard Diamond DeShields said after the game, “But it’s part of the process. We have a real young group, and all we can do is go back to the drawing board and try to learn from it and prep ourselves for the next opportunity to come.”

The Fever have won two of the previous three meetings between these teams. Can the Sky even the season series at 2-2, or will Indiana extend its winning streak to three games?

Now that we have set the stage for this matchup let’s examine the betting trends for both teams.

The Spread

The Fever opened as a 5.5-point favorite. However, that line has recently moved to 4.5 points (per OddShark.com). Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season.

• The Fever are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games played on one day of rest.
• Indiana is 5-2 ATS in its last seven matchups against teams with a losing record.
• Meanwhile, Sky are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home contests.
• In its last 12 matchups against the Fever, Chicago is 2-8-2 against the spread.

Prediction: Indiana Fever (-4.5)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 164.5 points, but at the time of this writing, the line has moved to 167.5 points (via OddsShark.com). Here is why going with the “over” is the intelligent choice.

• The total has gone OVER 19 times in the Fever’s last 28 games following an ATS victory.
• The OVER total is 19-9 in Indiana’s last 28 games overall.
• The total has gone OVER 13 times in the Sky’s last 14 games at Wintrust Arena.
• The OVER total is 12-2 in Chicago’s last 14 matchups against opponents with a losing record.

Prediction: OVER 167.5 points

Player Prop Bet

Following her record-breaking performance against Connecticut, Caitlin Clark is the key player to watch. She currently has -130 odds of scoring more than 19.5 points and +100 odds of finishing with less than 19.5 points (via Bet365).

Here is a look at how her numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup.

• During the season, Clark is putting up 18.0 points per game.
• In the three previous meetings against the Sky this season, Clark has averaged 17.0 points per contest on 48.5 percent shooting overall and 40 percent from 3-point  range.
• Clark has played against Eastern Conference teams 17 times this season. In those contests, she is averaging 17.0 points per outing.
• In 17 road contests, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner averages 16.7 points per game.
• Over her last five outings, Clark has averaged 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per contest, exceeding the points total for this matchup three times during that stretch.

Prediction: Caitlin Clark OVER 19.5 points