There are two games of WNBA action across the Thursday slate. Closing down the pair of matchups, the Indiana Fever will take on the Golden State Valkyries. Both these teams enter with a 4-2 record, and this will be the second matchup between these two teams. The Fever tallied a 90-82 victory during Friday’s matchup in Indiana, and they will square off in Las Vegas for this matchup.

Looking at the odds, the Fever enter as narrow 1.5-point favorites and hold -115 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Valkyries hold -105 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 169.5.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Fever at Valkyries matchup.

Fever at Valkyries Preview

The Indiana Fever are off to a 4-2 start to the season and enter this matchup on a three-game winning streak. Their two losses have come against the Dallas Wings in the opener and the Washington Mystics in overtime. Indiana has defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, the Seattle Storm, the Portland Fire, and this Valkyries team to this point. On the season, the Fever are 3-3 against the spread, and the game total is 3-3 to the over/under.

Caitlin Clark headlines the production for the Fever, posting averages of 23.8 points, 9.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. Kelsey Mitchell is not far behind with 22.3 points of her own. Aliyah Boston adds 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds, while Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull, Monique Billings, and Myisha Hines-Allen also play key roles.

Indiana leads the WNBA in scoring, averaging 93.7 points per game. The Fever also rank fourth in offensive rating, third in three-point attempts, and 11th in turnovers. Defensively, Indiana is allowing 87.0 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league. The Fever also rank fourth in defensive rating, 10th in opponent field goal percentage, and allow the fewest three-point attempts in the league.

The Golden State Valkyries finished their inaugural season with a 23-21 record. They are off to a 4-2 start to this season now in year two, with their two losses coming against the Fever and the Chicago Sky. Golden State’s four wins have come against the Seattle Storm, the Phoenix Mercury, the New York Liberty, and the Connecticut Sun. On the season, the Valkyries have gone 4-2 against the spread, and the game total has gone over in four of the six games.

Veronica Burton headlines the production for Golden State, posting averages of 14.3 points and 6.3 assists. Gabby Williams adds 13.5 points and 3.3 rebounds, while Janelle Salaun has shown encouraging growth this season, adding 12.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Kayla Thornton, Tiffany Hayes, and Kaila Charles also play key roles.

As a team, the Valkyries are scoring 85.8 points per game, which ranks ninth in the league. They rank third in offensive rating, last in field goal percentage, second in three-point percentage, and attempt more three-pointers than any team in the league. Defensively, opponents are scoring the fewest points per game against the Valkyries at 76.3 points per contest. Golden State also ranks second in defensive rating, fourth in opponent field goal percentage, and 11th in opponent three-point percentage.

Fever at Valkyries Pick, Best Bet

During the first matchup between these two teams, the Fever produced a 90-82 win. It was a competitive matchup in which neither team extended a lead beyond 10 points. Indiana led for 53% of the matchup, while the Valkyries held an advantage for 42% of the game.

This is an interesting clash of styles in which three-point production will play a major role in the result. The Valkyries attempt more three-pointers than any team in the league, while the Fever allow fewer three-point attempts than any other team. Indiana is not shy to fire it from deep, ranking third in three-point volume. During the previous matchup, Golden State shot 7-for-22 from deep while Indiana shot 10-for-26 from the perimeter.

Home-court advantage shifts to the Valkyries’ favor, but the Fever benefit from additional rest. Golden State suited up on Monday for a victory over the Connecticut Sun, while the Fever have not played since the previous matchup between these two sides on Friday. My lean is toward Indiana repeating the performance and finding a way to win on the road.

However, I am backing the game total to go over the 169.5 line as my top bet for this matchup. The score finished at a combined 172 in the first matchup between these two sides. This was despite Golden State shooting just 37.1% from the field and producing its second-lowest scoring total of the season. While the Valkyries have a high-level defense, the Fever have not been held to under 87 points in a game all season and have also cracked 100 twice. Indiana wants to push the pace and play fast, which leads to some healthy scoring totals. Indiana is the top-scoring offense in the league.

It was an admirable offensive effort from both sides in the first matchup, but each still left some production on the table. If these two teams are to score to their average, the game total would finish at 179.5. Expect the Fever to capitalize on the rest advantage and make a clear effort to create some easy baskets. Back both these teams to bring their best offensive punch and for the game total to go over the 169.5 line.

Best Bet: Game Total Over 169.5 (-108)