Published May 30, 2:27am ET by
James Tillman - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 30, 2:27am ET
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Updated May 30, 2:27am ET
One of Saturday's WNBA matchups features the Portland Fire hosting the Indiana Fever. Who has the edge in our Fire vs Fever pick?
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| Portland Fire | +10 (-108) |
| Indiana Fever | -10 (-112) |
After suffering a 17-point loss to the Indiana Fever on May 20, Portland reeled off three straight wins. Unfortunately, that streak ended with an 86-66 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Friday night.
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The Fire trailed by 15 before ending the third quarter with a 14-5 run to pull within 59-53 entering the fourth. Portland couldn't sustain the momentum, as the road team won the fourth-quarter scoring battle 27-13.
Sarah Ashlee Barker guided the offense with 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. Carla Leite scored 11 points and handed out four assists. Portland committed a season-high 28 turnovers, which led to 33 points for the Dream. Conversely, the Fire produced only eight points off 15 Atlanta miscues.
The Fever won three straight games following a 1-2 start. That streak came to an end, though, courtesy of a 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday night.
Indiana trailed 21-14 after the first quarter. The team rallied to tie the game at halftime and briefly held a lead in the final frame before the Valkyries made enough plays to hold on for a two-point win.
Caitlin Clark tied for team-high scoring honors, finishing with 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds. Albeit in a losing effort, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points and 500 assists, accomplishing the feat in 59 games. Raven Johnson also scored 16 points, going 7-for-10 from the floor.
Portland enters this showdown as a 10-point underdog. Here's a look at what you need to know for both teams ahead of this contest.
The Fire dropped the only meeting between the two franchises, while Indiana is 4-6 across its last 10 road outings. Although both teams are coming off losses, the Fever's defeat was more encouraging: they lost by one possession, whereas Portland was blown away in the final 10 minutes. With that being said, the edge to Indiana here.
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Pick
Indiana Fever (-10)
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