Indiana Fever vs. Washington Mystics
May 6, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Washington -6.5
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The Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics face off on Friday in an opening day WNBA showdown at the Entertainment & Sports Arena. When these two teams faced off in June of 2021 it was the Mystics that won 82-77.
The Fever finished last season with the worst record in the WNBA, but they hope this year they can turn the corner and at least have a winning record. NaLyssa Smith is going to be the key for this team this season. Smith was the number two overall pick in the 2022 draft, after being a standout for Baylor. Indiana made four picks in the top ten of this draft, so there might be some growing pains early. The Fever’s last game in the preseason against the Dallas Wings was a defeat 100-89, but they did show some good flashes. Smith did have a big game, scoring 18 points. The defense might be an issue, but the Fever are going to need to first make sure they have a strong offense.
On the other side of this matchup is the Washington Mystics, who look to be one of the most talented teams in the league on paper. Back are Elena Delle Done and Alysha Clark, who is one of the best defenders in the league. The Mystics also added Elizabeth Williams and Rui Machida who have both been strong this season. The Mystics were a bit inconsistent during the preseason. In the first game against the Atlanta Dream, the Mystics were defeated 88-69, but they bounced back with a victory in the last game. The Mystics scored 78 points against the Lynx and won by 12 points.
The Fever’s defense really struggled in the last game, giving up 100 points, and that led to the defeat. I expect Indiana is going to take a step forward this season, but that isn’t going to change in this game. Look for Indiana’s defense to struggle to slow down the talent on this Mystics team, and this game is going to get out of hand early. Back Washington against the spread.
