Here are two teams in the thick of the WNBA race. A chippy first meeting of the season makes for an exciting sequel between the Portland Fire and the Indiana Fever. Who is going to come out on top in round two?

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Fever are 11.5-point road favorites with -520 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. A Fire upset is priced at +390. The game total is set at O/U 173.5 points.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Fever-Fire game.

Fever vs. Fire Preview

The first time these two teams faced off, Indiana had to go without superstar point guard Caitlin Clark. That wasn’t a problem for their defense; they buckled down on that end, allowing 73 points while holding Portland to 19% from deep. It’s awfully nice to have Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston to fall back on offensively, who put up 45 points combined in that first matchup. This time around, Clark will be in the lineup, only boosting their offensive outlook: Indiana has the No. 1 offense by points per game.

Portland keeps finding a way to win. At 5-4, the Fire are vastly outperforming their talent level and expectations. Sitting 11th among the 15 WNBA teams in both offensive and defensive rating, it feels like the bottom could fall out at any time. Still, with this electric Portland home crowd at their back, you can never be too sure what to expect.

Much hangs on the status of Bridget Carleton, who missed the last game with a back injury. Carleton has arguably been their most important player on both ends of the floor this season. If Carleton can’t go, that places a lot of pressure on youngster Carla Leite to pace the offense. She has been a pleasant surprise in the early going, but will draw a lot of attention from one of the W’s best defenses.

So much comes down to Clark’s play on both ends of the floor. The Golden State Valkyries beat the Fever by containing Clark offensively and attacking her relentlessly on defense. If the Fire can mimic some of that blueprint, they may have a chance as significant road underdogs.

Now we have a good idea what to expect from these teams. Who is going to come out the winner?

Fever vs. Fire Pick, Best Bet

The problem here for the Fire is that they are their own worst enemy. In their last game against the Dream, a loss, the Fire turned the ball over more often than they scored. Yikes. It speaks to the lack of cohesion this team has, as most expansion teams lack; by and large, none of these players have been on the court together.

Indiana has continuity, a defined identity on both ends of the floor, and the kind of All-WNBA talents to overwhelm a deeply clunky Fire roster. This should be a comfortable road win for the Fever.

Best Bet: Indiana Fever -11.5 (-105)