Fire vs. Lynx prediction: Why Minnesota is favored to win Saturday's WNBA matchup [7/18/2026]

The Minnesota Lynx will face the Portland Fire in WNBA action at Target Center on Saturday, commencing at 8:00 PM ET.

Based on the latest simulations, Dimers' advanced WNBA model predicts the Lynx as the most likely winner of the Fire vs. Lynx game.

The Lynx, with star players such as Kayla McBride, Natasha Howard and Courtney Williams, are set to take on the Fire, whose lineup includes Carla Leite, Sarah Barker and Bridget Carleton.

This article offers further insights into Saturday's matchup, including best bets and player prop picks.

Fire vs. Lynx prediction: Who will win and cover?

Using innovative machine learning and data, we have simulated the outcome of Saturday's WNBA game between the Fire and Lynx, forming part of our WNBA predictions coverage.

Our famous predictive model gives the Lynx an 86.5% chance of defeating the Fire.

According to our model, the Fire (+13.5) have a 57.3% chance of covering the spread, while the over/under total of 173.5 points has a 61.4% chance of staying under,.

Fire vs. Lynx odds

We have sourced the best WNBA odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

Bet Type	Fire	Lynx
Spread	+13.5 (-108)	-13.5 (+104)
Moneyline	+641	-700
Total	o173.5 (-104)	u173.5 (+102)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Fire vs. Lynx picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best available odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets in this matchup. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

Bet Type	Pick	Bet Now
Spread	Fire +13.5	-108
Moneyline	Fire	+641
Total	Under 173.5	+102

According to our WNBA best bets, the top play to make on this game is Under 173.5 total points.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the sportsbook odds.

Fire vs. Lynx player props

WNBA player props are a popular way to wager on the Fire vs. Lynx matchup without necessarily betting on the outcome. We have crunched the numbers to project how each team's leading players will perform at Target Center.

Carla Leite is expected to lead the Fire with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists, while Kayla McBride is projected to have 17 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists for the Lynx.

For early game action, the data identifies Olivia Miles as the most probable player to secure the first basket.

Check out our WNBA player projections for a full range of projected box scores, including points, assists, rebounds and a deeper look at today's WNBA first basket picks.

Fire prediction

Our model's projected player stats for the Fire are:

Player	PTS	REB	AST	3PM	DFS
Carla Leite	13	2	4	1	26
Sarah Barker	10	4	2	1	23
B. Carleton	9	4	2	2	21
Emily Engstler	8	5	2	1	25
Teja Oblak	8	2	4	1	21

Lynx prediction

Projected points, rebounds, assists and three-pointers made for the Lynx:

Player	PTS	REB	AST	3PM	DFS
Kayla McBride	17	3	3	3	31
Natasha Howard	15	7	3	0	35
C. Williams	15	5	5	1	33
Olivia Miles	14	4	4	1	29
Nia Coffey	8	5	2	2	25

Fire vs. Lynx game-day updates and essential details

Saturday's matchup between the Lynx and Fire at Target Center is scheduled to commence at 8:00 PM ET.

• Who: Portland Fire vs. Minnesota Lynx
• Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026
• Time: 8:00 PM ET/5:00PM PT
• Venue: Target Center

Conclusion

We predict the Lynx, with an 86.5% win probability, will likely beat the Fire in Saturday's WNBA matchup.

Additional tools and information for betting safely can be found in our Responsible Gambling hub.