New York Liberty vs Indiana Fever: Expert Pick – August 13, 2023

NEW YORK LIBERTY VS INDIANA FEVER EXPERT PICK – AUGUST 13, 2023 – Greetings and salutations basketball fans. Welcome back to our weekend WNBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins. Yesterday was not a good day for me as I went 0-for-2 with my picks after the later game. But as the saying goes, today is a new day.

One of the marquee games from today’s slate of games features Eastern Conference leaders New York Liberty (23-6) taking on the Indiana Fever (8-22) – the worst team in the East. Will this translate into an annihilation or can the Fever leave Liberty feeling sick?

Tipoff

When: Saturday, August 13, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

TV: ESPN

Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Table provided by editorial staff.

New York Liberty vs Indiana Fever – Season Trends

Why We Should NOT Sleep on The New York Liberty

The New York Liberty are one of the hottest teams in the WNBA right now. They are one of just two teams that have posted nine wins in their last 10 contests. In their most recent outing, New York defeated the Chicago Sky by an 89-73 margin. MVP frontrunner, Brianna Stewart led the way with 21 points, 12 boards, and six assists.

The Liberty also received solid contributions from Sabrina Ionescu (19, points, five rebounds, and eight assists) and Jonquel Jones (18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Not only did New York extend its winning streak to a season-high five games, but it also matched the 2015 team for most wins in a season (23).

If you’re looking for any chinks in the armor of this ball club, good luck with that. New York is ranked second in both scoring (88.1 PPG) and efficiency. And at the other end of the floor, they have the third-best scoring defense (80.4 PPG) and defensive rating (100.4 points per 100 possessions).

The Liberty are also the No. 2 team in the league in both shooting (45.1 percent) and three-point shooting (37.9 percent).

Indiana Fever Have Faded Fast Following Respectable Start

Indiana started the season at 4-6 and there were some early discussions about this team possibly ending its six-year playoff drought. Since that start, though, the Fever have gone 4-16 and have dropped seven of their previous 10 contests.

On a positive note, Indiana snapped its recent three-game skid with a 91-73 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday. Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 24 points to go along with four assists. Aliyah Boston, the team’s No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, finished with a stat line of 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Although the Fever are a middle-of-the-road team from an offensive standpoint – ranked 8th in scoring and sixth in efficiency – they have the second-worst scoring defense (84.7 PPG) and the worst defensive rating in the association. While I went against the underdog in both of yesterday’s games, I fully expect that streak to end here.

The Picks

The Spread

The Liberty opened as a 10.5-point favorite in this contest. Here is why I am confident they will cover that spread.

• In the three games these teams have played this season, New York has won two of those games by a comfortable margin. They won 90-73 back in late May and 101-83 on July 23.
• New York is 5-2 ATS in the last seven games they have played on Sunday.
• Indiana is 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine contests against eastern conference opponents.
• The Fever are 16-34-2 ATS in their last 52 games following a straight-up (SU) win.

Prediction: New York Liberty (-10.5)

Over/Under

The current over/under points total for this matchup is 165.5. Here are some trends that suggest why the OVER may be the smart play here.

• In two of the three head-to-head encounters this season, the two teams combined for 182 and 184 points, respectively.
• The OVER total has prevailed in five of the last six games between these teams dating back to last season.
• The OVER is 4-0 for New York when facing teams that have an overall losing record. The Fever are 8-22.
• In Indiana’s last 22 games vs eastern conference opponents, the OVER total has prevailed 16 times.

Prediction: OVER 165.5 points

Player Prop Bet

My player to watch in this contest is Aliyah Boston. She currently has -120 odds of scoring 14.5 points and -110 odds of scoring less than 14.5 points.

In her first season in the WNBA, Boston is averaging 14.8 points per contest, and she has been one of the few bright spots for a franchise that has not had a postseason appearance since 2016.

Boston has scored 15 or more points in four of her last five outings. And while New York is a stout team at both ends of the floor, Boston has shown she can hang with the best of them.

That said, I am going with Boston to go over the point threshold in this matchup.

Prediction: Aliyah Boston OVER 14.5 points

James’s Picks

• New York Liberty (-10.5)
• OVER 165.5 points
• PPB: Aliyah Boston OVER 14.5 points