Fire vs Mercury Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight’s WNBA Game

Phil Naessens - Contributor at Covers.com
Phil Naessens • Betting Analyst 19+ years betting experience
Updated: Aug 16, 2026 , 01:14 PM ET • 4 min read

Expect the Mercury to cover in style as Phoenix cashes in as -5.5 home favorites, cooling down the Fire with a comfortable cover.

wnba

Aug 16 • 3:00 PM ET
DeWanna Bonner Phoenix Mercury WNBA
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner (24) celebrates against the New York Liberty in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center.

Rest meets opportunity in Phoenix on Sunday night. 

The Mercury (-5.5) host the Portland Fire at Mortgage Matchup Center following a four-day break, and our Fire vs. Mercury predictions and WNBA picks expect the well-rested home favorites to pull away and cover on Aug. 16.

  • UPDATE: Added DeWanna Bonner prop!

Fire vs Mercury prediction

Fire vs Mercury best bet: Mercury -5.5 (-105)

The Phoenix Mercury should bury the Portland Fire tonight, and the Mercury laying 5.5 points at home feels like a gift.

The Mercury lead the league in fouls drawn (23.0 PFD) while generating 19.7 points per game on 25.8 free throw attempts. 

Conversely, the Fire commit 20.7 personal fouls per contest, which should make veteran scorers like Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper, and DeWanna Bonner smile. 

Fresh off four days of practice to rest and tighten their half-court schemes, I’m expecting a massive offensive night for the Mercury. 

Play the Mercury to -6.5. 

Covers COVERS INTEL: Across their last five games, the Phoenix Mercury boast the second-best assist percentage at 74.6%. 

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Fire vs Mercury same-game parlay

We’ll exchange the Mercury spread for a moneyline play for the same reasons detailed above. 

Alyssa Thomas lives at the charity stripe, and I’m expecting her free throws to aid in scoring at least 17 points, like she has in five of her previous eight contests. 

I also expect Phoenix to lean on DeWanna Bonner’s perimeter shooting. She’s made at least two triples in four of her previous six games and meets a Fire defense that's surrendered 11.0 made threes per game in their previous five. 

Fire vs Mercury SGP

  • Mercury moneyline
  • Alyssa Thomas Over 15.5 points
  • DeWanna Bonner Over 1.5 made threes

Want more basketball parlays? Check out our WNBA parlay picks page!

Fire vs Mercury player prop pick

DeWanna Bonner Over 11.5 points (-115)

Bonner steps into an ideal scoring environment in Saturday's high-octane matchup against Portland. The Fire surrender 11.0 made three-pointers per game at a 37.4% clip while conceding 22.9 free-throw attempts.

In what I expect to be a 100-possession game, Bonner will find clean perimeter spot-ups and frequent trips to the charity stripe against an overaggressive, foul-prone defense averaging 20.7 fouls per game.

We're getting a good price for Bonner, and it's playable to -125.

Phil Naessens' 2026 Transparency Record
  • Best bet: 14-10, +1.13 units
  • SGP: 6-19, +3.10 units
  • Player prop: 4-8, -4.50 units

Fire vs Mercury odds

  • Spread: Portland +5.5 (-108) | Phoenix -5.5 (-112)
  • Moneyline: Portland +180 | Phoenix -218
  • Over/Under: Over 176.5 | Under 176.5

Fire vs Mercury trend

Mercury are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. the Western Conference. Find more WNBA betting trends.

How to watch Fire vs Mercury

Location Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
Date Sunday, August 16, 2026
Tip-off 7 p.m. ET
TV ESPN

Fire vs Mercury latest injuries

Fire: Sania Feagin (Out).
Mercury: Kelsey Plum (Out). 
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Phil Naessens
Betting Analyst

Prior to joining Covers in 2022, Phil Naessens spent 38 years as a resident tennis pro in Las Vegas, Mykonos, and Corfu, Greece. He’s the past host of the Phil Naessens Show (Armed Forces Radio), and currently hosts the Crush and Rush Tennis Podcast.

Phil is the author of the Betting 101 series (MLB, NFL, NCAAF, and Tennis) and has written for numerous publications, including Advance Local, SB Nation, FanSided, and Lenny Melnick Fantasy Sports. 

His favorite sports to bet on are tennis, MLB, WNBA, Euro men’s and women’s hoops, NCAA sports, NFL, and the NBA. Phil has numerous betting accounts in the US and Europe, and his best advice is to line shop for the best value possible.

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