Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics Expert Expert Pick And Predictions – June 7, 2024

INDIANA FEVER VS. WASHINGTON MYSTICS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — JUNE 7, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our WNBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins. One of the games on tap from tonight’s slate features the Indiana Fever (2-9 SU, 5-6 ATS) taking on the Washington Mystics (0-10 SU, 4-5-1 ATS).

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

Tipoff

When: Friday, June 7, 2024 @ 7:30 PM ET

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

TV: ION

Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics – In-Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Fever Regroup Following Demoralizing Loss To The Liberty?

 The Fever entered the 2024 campaign, having missed the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons. Selecting the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader with the top overall pick was supposed to be a step in the right direction for this franchise. Unfortunately, as great of a talent as Caitlin Clark is, she has not been able to cure the team’s early-season woes.

Indiana dropped its first five games and has posted four losses in its last six outings. This includes a demoralizing 104-68 defeat at the hands of the New York Liberty. This was the third meeting between these two teams and New York has won all three times. Not only that, but the margin of victory was also 36 points in two of those encounters.

Kelsey Mitchell scored a team-high 21 points against the Liberty on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. NaLyssa Smith added 17 points and eight rebounds. Clark was held to a season-low three points on 1-for-10 shooting from the floor, and she also connected on just one of her seven attempts from beyond the arc.

“I think collectively as a team, we understand who kind of the head of the monster is on that team and we are trying to just make everything tough and difficult,” Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu said after the game. “Obviously, they came off a back-to-back, so it’s a little bit tough for them as well. But she’ll figure it out. It’s not that big of a deal to have a game like that.”

Will The Mystics Finally Break Into The Win Column?

As bad as the season has been for the Fever, the narrative is a bit worse for the Mystics. While Indiana’s 2-9 record is nothing to brag about, the Mystics are still winless through their first 10 games of the season.

In the team’s recent outing — a 79-71 loss against the Chicago Sky — Washington led 44-35 at the break. Unfortunately, the home team was unable to sustain its first-half success as it was held to 27 points in the second half, which included being outscored by a 27-10 margin in the third quarter.

Rookie Aaliyah Edwards finished with season-highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds. She also tallied four blocked shots as well.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough finished with 11 points off the bench. Ariel Atkins contributed 10 points and four rebounds on 4-for-12 shooting from the field for a Washington team that held Chicago to 38 percent shooting overall and just 7.1 percent from the 3-point line (1-for-14).

In a contest featuring two teams that have a combined record of 2-19, it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top in this one. Now that we have set the stage for this Eastern Conference showdown, let’s examine the betting trends for both sides.

The Spread

As crazy as it sounds, the Mystics were initially a 1.5-point favorite despite their 0-10 record. But at the time of this writing, the Fever are a three-point favorite (per OddShark). Here is a look at how both ball clubs have fared against the spread this season.

• The Mystics are 1-4 ATS in their last five outings.
• Washington is 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.
• The Mystics have failed to cover the spread four times in their last six matchups against Indiana.
• In its last seven home games against the Fever, Washington is 5-2 against the spread.
• The Fever have covered the spread only once in their previous five outings.
• Indiana is 4-2 ATS in its last six matchups against Washington.
• In their last seven contests against the Mystics, the Fever are 2-5-1 against the spread.

Prediction: Indiana Fever (-3)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup is 162.5 points (per 365scores.com). Here is why going with the “over” is the smart choice.

• The total has gone OVER seven times in the Mystics’ last 10 home games against Indiana.
• The OVER total is 4-1 in the Fever’s last five games.
• In Indiana’s last five road games, the OVER total prevailed four times
• Indiana and Washington have exceeded the points total for this matchup three times in their previous five head-to-head encounters.

Prediction: OVER 162.5 points

Player Prop Bet

Although Clark scored only three points in the team’s loss to the Liberty, she leads Indiana in both points and assists per contest, thus making her the key player to watch for the Fever. She currently has -130 odds of scoring more than 17.5 points and +100 odds of finishing with less than 17.5 points.

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

• On the season, Clark is averaging 15.6 points per contest.
• In six road games this season, Clark is averaging 14.2 points per contest.
• Clark has played against Eastern Conference teams six times this season. In those contests, she is averaging 13.7 points per outing.
• Over her last five outings, the first-year guard is averaging 14.4 points per outing, exceeding the points total for this matchup twice during that stretch.

Although the trends say otherwise, Clark is due for a big game after scoring a combined 14 points in her last two outings. This especially holds true when facing an opponent that is ranked eighth and tenth, respectively, in scoring defense and defensive efficiency.

Prediction: Caitlin Clark OVER 17.5 points

As a bonus, we will also take a glance at her assist numbers as well. She currently has -120 odds of finishing with 6.5 assists and -110 odds of finishing with less than 6.5 assists.

• On the season, Clark is averaging 6.4 assists per game.
• In six road contests, the Fever guard is averaging 6.3 assists per outing.
• Clark has suited up against the Eastern Conference six times this season. In those contests, she has averaged 5.5 assists per contest.
• Across her last five games, Clark is averaging 6.6 dimes per game, exceeding the projected total for this matchup twice during that stretch.

Prediction: Caitlin Clark OVER 6.5 assists