Ed Scimia
• Betting Analyst
17+ years betting experience
Updated:
Jul 22, 2026 , 07:04 PM ET
• 4 min read
With Paige Bueckers’ status in doubt, our expert likes the Portland Fire to continue their strong run of play against the Dallas Wings tonight.
EXPERT PICK – SPREAD
Portland +5.5 (-105)
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Photo By – Reuters Connect. Portland Fire guard Carla Leite (0) shoots a free throw.
The Dallas Wings could be without their biggest star as they visit the Portland Fire tonight.
Portland played good teams tough on its recent road trip, and I’m picking it to cover at home in my Wings vs. Fire predictions.
Keep reading to see my free WNBA picks for Wednesday, July 22.
Wings vs Fire prediction
Wings vs Fire best bet: Fire +5.5 (-105)
The Dallas Wings come into tonight with star Paige Bueckers questionable following a head injury on Sunday. Even if she plays, Dallas may limit her ahead of the WNBA All-Star break. The Portland Fire are coming off a strong 2-2 road trip and have covered in six of their last seven games, always as underdogs.
The Wings have the league’s lowest free throw rate (13.7%) and don’t shoot much from deep, posting a three-point rate of 30.2%. Those areas will make it difficult to score a big road win. I like the Fire to cover at +3.5 or better.
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Wings vs Fire same-game parlay
Bueckers’ limitations will have additional impacts on tonight’s game. Not only will it make it tough for the Wings to cover, but more broadly, it will reduce their offensive options. With both Chicago and Portland ranking in the bottom five of the WNBA in pace metrics, the Under looks like a strong play tonight.
The Wings do have other offensive weapons, however. Their primary scorer as of late has been Arike Ogunbowale (14.2 ppg), who has gone for 20+ points in three of her last four outings. I’m taking her to continue that streak tonight against a Fire team that rates third-worst in the league in defensive efficiency.
Wings vs Fire SGP
- Fire +5.5
- Under 175.5
- Arike Ogunbowale Over 16.5 points
Wings vs Fire player prop pick
Jessica Shepard Over 12.5 rebounds (+110)
Jessica Shepard is averaging 14.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game for the Wings, and will be another key contributor if Bueckers isn’t able to provide her typical minutes. Shepard has recorded double-doubles in six straight games, including grabbing 14+ rebounds in four of those contests.
Portland is among the worst rebounding teams in the WNBA, ranking second-last in rebounding rate at 46.6% and last in rebounds per game (29.6). Expect Shepard to dominate on the boards against the Fire tonight.
Ed Scimia’s 2026 Transparency Record
- Best bet: 13-19, -6.99 units
- SGP: 4-28, -5.45 units
- Player prop: 8-4, +3.56 units
Wings vs Fire odds
- Spread: Wings -5.5 (-115) | Fire +5.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Wings -240 | Fire +195
- Over/Under: Over 175.5 (-110) | Under 175.5 (-110)
Wings vs Fire trend
The Fire are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. Find more WNBA betting trends.
How to watch Wings vs Fire
Location
Moda Center, Portland, OR
Date
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Tip-off
10 p.m. ET
TV
USA Network
Wings vs Fire latest injuries
Wings: Paige Bueckers (Questionable), Alanna Smith (Out).
Fire: Sania Feagin (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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Ed Scimia has been writing about the gaming industry for over 15 years. He graduated from Syracuse University with degrees in Magazine Journalism and Political Science in 2003, and has covered major gambling events like the World Series of Poker in his career. Since joining Covers in 2022, Ed has offered his sports betting analysis primarily on MLB, NFL, college football, and college basketball games, but is willing to take on any sport.
His betting strategy focuses more on finding line value based on deviations from the market rather than traditional handicapping, primarily shopping between DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics in his home state of Connecticut, though he’s not afraid to do deep game analysis to find profitable bets at any book.
Outside of gambling, Ed is an avid curler who competes in mixed doubles on the World Curling Tour and runs a popular curling YouTube channel, Chess on Ice. That experience has come in handy during the Olympics, when he has proven to be a successful curling bettor as well.
Ed’s advice to new bettors is to always open multiple sportsbook accounts and check the odds at each before placing any bet. Successful sports betting is about consistently beating the closing line value, which requires finding spots where one book is offering odds far better than the rest of the market and jumping on those opportunities.
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