Portland Fire vs Phoenix Mercury Prediction, 8/16/2026 WNBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Portland Fire vs Phoenix Mercury

Date: Sunday, August 16, 2026

Location: Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: ESPN

The Phoenix Mercury (13-22) play the Portland Fire (13-20) at Mortgage Matchup Center on Sunday.

The Portland Fire faced the Minnesota Lynx and ended up losing by a score of 85-81 in their last game. Portland wrapped up the contest having earned a 45.1% field goal percentage (32 of 71) and buried 8 of their 31 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Fire buried 9 of 16 attempts for a percentage of 56.3%. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 39 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 21 dimes for the matchup in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In reference to defending, Portland allowed 46.2% from the floor on 30 of 65 shooting. Minnesota distributed 6 assists and had 9 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Minnesota pulled down 35 boards (6 offensive, 29 defensive) and earned 5 blocks. Minnesota finished the contest at 73.1% at the free throw line by making 19 of 26 attempts. They made 6 out of their 20 tries from beyond the arc.

Bridget Carleton is one player who came through for the contest. She totaled 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting. She saw the court for 33 minutes and also collected 5 rebounds. Carleton shot 42.9% from the floor and totaled 2 assists.

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Portland heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 13-20 for the campaign. They are averaging 86.8 pts per contest (10th in the league) on 45.4% from the floor. The Fire are hitting 35.3% on shots from 3-point land (335 of 950) and 81.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Portland is pulling down 29.9 boards per game and has accounted for 688 dimes on the season, which ranks 9th in the WNBA in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 14.5 times per contest and as a group they are committing 22.2 personal fouls per game. On the defensive end, the Fire have forced 13.6 turnovers per game while drawing 18.6 fouls. They concede 34.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 13th in the WNBA in PPG allowed (91.6). The Fire defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 47.0% (449 of 615) and they surrender 33.6 boards per game as a group. They are currently ranked 15th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 775 surrendered so far this season.

When they last played, the Phoenix Mercury got the victory with a final of 94-87 against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Mercury earned 29 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 for this contest. They coughed it up 23 times, while getting 12 steals in the game. The Sparks earned 25 fouls in the game which took the Mercury to the charity stripe for a total of 30 shots. They were able to make 23 of the free throw tries for a rate of 76.7%. When discussing shots from beyond the arc, Phoenix converted 9 out of their 25 tries (36.0%). When all was said and done, the Mercury ended up shooting 31 out of 60 from the field which had them shooting 51.7%. The Mercury allowed the Sparks to convert 32 of their 74 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.2% in the game. They went 21.9% from 3-point land by shooting 7 of 32 and finished the contest at 16 of 22 from the free throw line (72.7%). In regard to rebounding, Phoenix allowed Los Angeles to pull down 33 in all (11 on the offensive glass).

Noemie Brochant ended up having an impact for the Mercury for the matchup. She converted 10 of 13 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 76.9%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. Brochant racked up 24 points in her 30 minutes on the court and totaled 3 assists for the matchup.

Phoenix has a win-loss record of 13-22 on the campaign. The Mercury are committing 18.5 fouls per game while shooting 78.2% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 19.9 times per contest (11th in basketball) and they turn it over 13.1 times per contest. Phoenix has tallied 2,935 pts on the campaign (83.9 per game) and they average 31.5 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Mercury are hitting on 44.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 10th in the league. The Mercury on defense are ranked 9th in basketball in points given up per game with 87.5. The Phoenix defense surrenders 36.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (345 of 945) and their opponents are connecting on 79.6% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 21.7 dimes and 34.1 total boards per game, which is ranked 12th and 11th in basketball. They are forcing 13.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.3% from the floor (11th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's WNBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Portland

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