Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Phoenix Mercury vs Seattle Storm: A potential playoff matchup in the West

The Seattle Storm are hosting the Phoenix Mercury in Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

The Mercury are just under .500

The Phoenix Mercury are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 17-18 record, including 7-10 on the road. They have lost four of their last five games and are coming off a 90-77 loss to the Washington Mystics. Phoenix is ranked fourth in the league, averaging 83.8 points per game on shooting 33.6% from three-point territory and 44% from the field. Kahleah Copper leads the team, averaging 21.9 points, and Brittney Griner adds 18.1.

The Storm have a promising season

The Seattle Storm are third in the Western Conference with a 20-14 record, including 12-5 at home. They have lost three of the last four games and are coming off a 77-70 loss to the New York Liberty. The Storm are third in the league, averaging 84.3 points per game and at the same time are the worst three-point shooting team in the league with 29.2% shooting from behind the arc. Jewell Loyd is the top scorer for Seattle, averaging 20.1 points per game, while Nneka Ogwumike is at 16.8.

Betting Trends

The Mercury are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against teams from the Western Conference, 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall, 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games played on Saturday and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. Phoenix has played over the total point line in 6 of their last 7 games played on Saturday, 4 of their last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference, 6 of their last 9 games playing after a one-day rest, 5 of their last 8 games following a ATS loss and 5 of their last 8 games following a loss. The Storm are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games played on Saturday, 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games playing after a one-day rest, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a loss, 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games overall, 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a losing record and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games. Seattle has played under the total point line in 4 of their last games following a ATS win, 6 of their last 8 games following a loss, 19 of their last 26 games against teams with a losing record and 5 of their last 7 home games.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both teams already reached the basic goal of the season, and that is making it to the playoffs. The Storm can even go higher in the standings of the Western Conference and maybe have a home court advantage in the opening round, while the Mercury are quite behind, still having a losing record. Both teams are struggling this week, and it is safe to say that neither are even close to their best basketball. Phoenix won the last head-to-head game 87-78 at home, ending the Storm’s five-game winning streak. However, Seattle is now playing at home, and even though they failed to cover the spread in their last four home games, they will do so today as 4.5-point favorites in this game.