Phoenix Mercury vs Portland Fire Prediction, 9/17/2026 WNBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Phoenix Mercury vs Portland Fire

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026

Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR

TV: WNBA League Pass

Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (-1.5)

The Portland Fire (16-24) host the Phoenix Mercury (14-26) at Moda Center on Thursday. Portland opens this contest as 1.5 point underdogs. The O/U has been set at 176.5.

The Phoenix Mercury faced the Toronto Tempo and took home the win by a score of 101-69 in their last game. Phoenix wrapped up the game having earned a 48.1% field goal percentage (37 out of 77) and knocked down 15 of 34 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Mercury knocked down 12 of 13 attempts for a rate of 92.3%. When it comes to getting rebounds, they collected 35 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 27 assists for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and earning 12 steals. Regarding the defense, Phoenix allowed the other team to shoot 37.1% from the field on 23 out of 62 shooting. Toronto earned 7 assists and had 4 steals for this game. On top of that, Toronto snagged 32 rebounds (7 offensive, 25 defensive) and had 3 rejections. Toronto ended up shooting 82.6% from the charity stripe by making 19 of their 23 attempts. They made 4 of 22 attempts from distance.

Noemie Brochant is one player who was a major contributor for the contest. She ended up walking away with 15 points on 5 out of 8 shooting. She played for 25 minutes played and also grabbed 2 rebounds. Brochant went 62.5% from the field and dished out 2 dimes.

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Phoenix enters this contest with a mark of 14-26 so far this year. They are turning it over 13.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 18.6 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Phoenix is pulling in 31.6 rebounds per game and has racked up 805 assists for the year, which has them ranked 10th in the WNBA in terms of passing. The Mercury are hitting 32.7% on shots from 3-point land (315 of 963) and 78.7% from the free throw line. They average 84.2 points per contest (11th in the WNBA) while going 44.5% from the floor. On defense, the Mercury are forcing 13.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 21.5 personal fouls. They are giving up 35.7% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 8th in the WNBA in PPG allowed (87.3). The Mercury are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 46.3% (520 of 859) and they concede 34.1 boards per game as a group. They are ranked 11th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 855 conceded on the season.

For their last game, the Portland Fire went home defeated by a final of 86-69 when they faced the Golden State Valkyries. The Fire were able to snag 20 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in this contest. They turned the ball over 15 times, while getting 8 steals for this game. The Valkyries committed 12 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Fire to the free throw line for a total of 13 attempts. They were able to make 11 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 84.6%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, Portland converted 10 of 39 attempts (25.6%). When the final whistle was blown, the Fire ended up going 24 out of 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.7%. The Fire allowed the Valkyries to make 29 out of 61 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.5% for this contest. They finished shooting 31.0% from distance by hitting 9 of 29 and ended up going 19 out of 21 at the free throw line (90.5%). When it comes to attacking the glass, Portland allowed Golden State to snag 31 overall (8 offensive).

Emily Engstler pitched in for the Fire in the game. She made 4 of 6 for the contest giving her a rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. Engstler had 12 points in her 23 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the game.

Portland has a record of 16-24 this season. The Fire commit 22.1 fouls per game while shooting 80.8% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 20.6 times per contest (9th in basketball) and they turn it over 14.1 times per game. Portland has accounted for 3,463 points so far this season (86.6 per contest) and they pull in 30.3 boards per contest. As an offense, the Fire are hitting on 45.2% from the floor, which ranks them 7th in the WNBA. The Fire on defense are ranked 13th in the league in points given up per game with 91.1. The Portland defense concedes 34.6% on 3-point shots (362 of 1,045) and their opponents are converting on 78.5% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 23.0 dimes and 34.1 rebounds per contest, ranking them 15th and 11th in the league. They are able to force 13.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.5% from the floor (11th in the league).

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Portland (+1.5)

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