Fever at Liberty 5/24/19 - WNBA Picks & Predictions

The Indiana Fever visit the New York Liberty on Friday for the opening game of the 2019 WNBA regular season for both. Indiana was 6-28 last season and hopes that No. 2 pick overall Teaira McCowan will give the team a big presence down low on the boards and defensively. Kelsey Mitchell is expected to lead the Fever in scoring, but Indiana will be without Victoria Vivans who is out all season with an ACL tear. Candice Dupree must come up big on both ends of the court.

The Liberty’s future looks secure with new owner Joseph Tsai. Katie Smith will be in her second season as the Liberty head coach and will rely on rookies Ham Xu and Asia Durr. Tina Charles will be the team leader in scoring and rebounding, but will have little experience with the exception of Kia Nurse, helping her and relying on rookies early in the season will be a tough proposition. Candice Dupree is the leading scorer and second leading rebounder returning for Indiana with averages of 14.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Natalie Achonwa is the leading rebounder from last season with an average of 6.8 per game. The Fever expects a boost in rebounding from rookie Tearia McGowan.

Tina Charles returns as the Liberty’s top scorer and rebounder. Charles led the team in 2018 with an average of 20.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. No other player for the Liberty averaged double figures in scoring in 2018. Brittany Boyd was re-signed and returns as the leader in assists from last season with an average of 5.9 per game.