Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky Prediction, Picks, and Odds: Mabrey's Potential Sky-High

The Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky needed overtime to settle their last matchup. These rivals clash again in the Windy City tonight, but Chicago could be down its top talent.

Leading scorer Kahleah Copper is a game-time decision for the Sky, due to what is reported as personal reasons. She was initially questionable for Thursday, but her status changed following yesterday’s practice when head coach James Wade told the media she would be there for the game and is fine.

That has the WNBA odds for this Eastern Conference clash bouncing around. Chicago opened as big as a 4-point favorite but is now down to -2.5 as of Thursday morning.

I dig into the spread and Over/Under total for tonight’s game and give my best WNBA picks and predictions for Fever vs. Sky on June 15.

Fever vs Sky best odds

Fever vs Sky picks and predictions

Copper’s unknown status makes it tough to navigate this game. But her potential absence means a higher ceiling for her Sky teammates.

Copper’s backcourt mate Marina Mabrey is where I’m looking, with her player projections calling for 18 points against a total of 17.5 (over -115) — those numbers set with Copper in the lineup.

With this spread trending down from the opener of -4 and a move to -2.5 at some sharper sportsbooks, the adjustment could be hinting at Copper’s status before official reports come out.

Mabrey is coming off a 20-point effort in the loss to Las Vegas and also scored 28 points in that overtime affair with the Fever earlier this month, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and making all nine of her free-throw attempts.

With or without Copper, Mabrey is expected to have a strong game against an Indiana team that leads the WNBA in personal fouls (20.9), sending foes to the charity stripe for an average of 22.9 free-throws an outing. Mabrey's aggressive play draws contact and sends her to the foul line almost five times per game while shooting close to 90% from the stripe.

Mabrey has also wowed in the Windy City, averaging 21.3 points per home game and shooting 47.5% inside Wintrust Arena this season. That’s a significant improvement from her road output of just 12 points on 33.3% success from the field.

All of this could be boosted by Copper sitting out or at least being behind the curve after missing two practices due to these off-court issues. She averages almost 16 field goal attempts per game, and a good chunk of those would find their way to Mabrey if the Sky are without their star on Thursday night.

My best bet: Marina Mabrey Over 17.5 points (-115 at bet365)

Fever vs Sky spread and Over/Under analysis

The initial opener of -4 likely has the questionable status of Copper baked in and the drop to as low as -2.5 reflects sportsbook padding against Chicago playing without its best player.

My WNBA power ratings produced a spread of Sky -4.5 with Copper in action. Given her production — 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists — this spread will likely trend closer to pick’em if she is officially ruled out.

Not only would Copper’s absence impact the Sky on both ends of the floor but would leave an already thin roster struggling to roll out healthy bodies. Chicago is down key reserves Morgan Bertsch and Rebekah Gardner, as well as center Kristine Anigwe, who is away for international play.

Chicago has cooled after a hot start to the 2023 campaign, losing four of the last six games. One of those wins was an overtime victory versus Indiana at home, with that game closing with a spread of Chicago -5 after opening as big as -6. The Sky enter Thursday a league-best 7-2-1 ATS.

The Fever have proven to be a much different team than the one that finished dead last in 2022. Indiana already has three wins and its last four losses have come by five points or less, which has helped build a 5-3-1 record against the spread. That includes an outright 87-66 win over Washington as a 4-point home underdog Tuesday.

Today’s total hit the board at 159.5 points and has slimmed to 158.5 at some sportsbooks. The total for the June 6 matchup between these clubs closed at 158 points after opening as high as 159.5. The Sky and Fever played to a 91-91 tie in regulation, blowing past the closing total with ease before the added frame.

Both sides shot the ball extremely well in that last meeting, with Chicago knocking down 50% of its field goal attempts and Indiana making a sizzling 55% of its shots. The game finished with a slower pace rating of 92.8 — on-brand for Indiana, which plays the slowest tempo in the WNBA (94.62).

The Fever are 5-4 Over/Under so far this season, while the Sky own a 4-6 O/U mark heading into Thursday.

Fever vs Sky betting trend to know

The Under is 12-5 in Sky’s last 17 games overall. Find more WNBA betting trends for Fever vs. Sky.

Fever vs Sky game info

Fever vs Sky key injuries

Fever: None.
Sky: Kahleah Copper G (Game Time Decision), Kristine Anigwe C (Out), Morgan Bertsch F (Out), Rebekah Gardner G (Out).
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.

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