The Phoenix Mercury take on the Dallas Wings. Check out our WNBA odds series for our Mercury Wings prediction, odds, and pick. Find out how to watch Mercury Wings.

The Phoenix Mercury have been true to their name. They have been mercurial this season. They are hard to predict, and they seem to change identities very quickly. It is true that Phoenix got Brittney Griner back in the lineup on Friday night after she had missed a number of games. That certainly helped in the Mercury's 81-80 win over the Minnesota Lynx. However, the mere return of Griner doesn't fully explain the 180-degree turnaround from a blowout loss to the Lynx one week earlier in which the Mercury were run out of the building and were non-competitive the whole way. The Mercury have, in recent weeks, gotten blown out in multiple games, but they took the New York Liberty — one of the best teams in the league — down to the wire in New York. They knocked off the above-average Lynx, who are one of the four top teams in the W right now. There's a great degree of variance between each Mercury game, and you're seeing it on a regular basis. It will be fascinating to see how the Mercury respond to this road test in Dallas.

The Wings very nearly defeated the Connecticut Sun on the road over a week ago, an encouraging performance for a team which is trying to find stability in the first half of the 40-game regular season. It seemed that the Wings were on the verge of turning the corner and rounding into form.

It didn't happen. The Wings have regressed when compared to that strong outing against the Sun. They lost on the road to the Los Angeles Sparks in a matchup of the ninth- and 10th-best teams in the 12-team WNBA. Their offense died in the fourth quarter, and the Sparks overwhelmed them down the stretch. Dallas had led by six points at halftime but got smothered by the Sparks' defense in the second half, especially the final quarter. If the season ended today, the Wings would not be part of the eight-team playoff field. They need to turn things around in a hurry if they want to have a decent chance of making the postseason. If they keep losing, they will join the Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics as teams whose playoff hopes have pretty much been buried in the first four weeks of regular-season play.

Here are the Mercury-Wings WNBA Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

WNBA Odds: Mercury-Wings Odds

Phoenix Mercury: +1 (-110)

Dallas Wings: -1 (-110)

Over: 163.5 (-112)

Under: 163.5 (-108)

How to Watch Mercury vs Wings

TV: AZ Family (Mercury) / Bally Sports Southwest Extra (Wings)

Stream: WNBA League Pass

Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

*Watch WNBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Mercury Could Cover The Spread

The Mercury have Brittney Griner back in the lineup. That helps them inside with defense and rebounding. Kahleah Copper — whose late barrage of 3-pointers enabled the Mercury to knock off the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night — is an elite scorer who is a headache to guard. In addition to what the Mercury have going for themselves, they're playing a Dallas team which is struggling, and which lost to the not-very-good Los Angeles Sparks. There are plenty of good reasons to take Phoenix in what is basically a pick'em game.

Why The Wings Could Cover The Spread

The Wings have been really bad the past week. They are bound to play better against a Phoenix team which has been up and down for most of the past two weeks. If you buy into the idea that the Mercury will not follow one good game with another due to their inconsistency, you can pick Dallas here.

Final Mercury-Wings Prediction & Pick

These teams are volatile, so you should just pass on this one.

Final Mercury-Wings Prediction & Pick: Mercury +1