The Indiana Fever have not had the season they expected, and the prospect of a playoff run is low with Caitlin Clark confirmed to be out for the remainder of whatever is left of Indiana’s season. But the Fever enter tonight’s regular season finale vs. the Minnesota Lynx (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) still with a chance to land the No. 6 seed.
The Fever (23-20) are a half-game behind the Golden State Valkyries (23-19), who currently hold the sixth seed, ahead of tonight’s five-game WNBA slate, which also sees the Valkyries visit the Seattle Storm (22-21). If Indiana defeats Minnesota tonight and Golden State loses tonight and at Minnesota on Thursday (8:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV), the Fever will be the No. 6 seed. If the two teams end with the same record, the Valkyries will get the better seed because they swept the Fever 3-0 this season.
Indiana has remained in contention for this seed and a first-round matchup with either the Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, or Phoenix Mercury thanks to consecutive routs of the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics. Now comes the hardest part of the equation, trying to beat the Lynx for the first time this season after losing twice to Minnesota late last month.
Can Indiana uphold its end of the equation and close the regular season on a high note? Read on for our Lynx vs. Fever prediction and best bets and see which top online sportsbooks have the best betting odds for tonight’s best bets.
Lynx vs. Fever Betting Trends
- The Lynx are 13-8 SU and 11-10 ATS on the road this season.
- Minnesota is 5-2 SU and 4-3 this season when favored by five or fewer points on the road.
- The over is 11-9-1 in Minnesota’s road games this season.
- The Fever are 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games.
- Indiana is 6-2 SU and 7-1 ATS this season as an underdog of four or fewer points.
- The Fever are 8-9 SU and 9-8 ATS overall as an underdog this season.
- The Fever are 7-3 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games.
- In Indiana’s home games this season, the over is 12-9, including 7-3 in the last 10.
Lynx vs. Fever Prediction and Best Bets
Prediction: Fever to win
The Lynx have not had anything to play for recently, as they clinched the top seed for the playoffs on August 30, four games and ten days ago.
That doesn’t mean that they are taking it easy to close out the regular season. They are 2-1 since clinching the No. 1 seed, routing the Dallas Wings at home and splitting road games against the Aces (a 97-87 loss) and Valkyries (a 78-72 win).
After helping the Fever’s hopes for the No. 6 seed with Saturday’s win at Golden State, the Lynx will try to squash those hopes tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
When they were last in Indianapolis, Minnesota claimed a 95-90 win on August 22. That was the game before Napheesa Collier returned to the floor for the Lynx, and it featured a triple-double for Jessica Shepard (22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) and a big game for Kayla McBride (29 points, six assists).
That was part of a brief three-game blip at home for the Fever, who have fared well there otherwise. In their 7-3 stretch at home, the Fever have defeated the Dream, Aces, Mercury, Valkyries, and Storm, so this is certainly a game that they can win. And though the Lynx shouldn’t completely mail it in tonight, look for the Fever to take this one and stay alive for the No. 6 seed.
Lynx vs. Fever Best Bets
1) Fever/Lynx over 164 (-115 at Everygame)
Both Lynx vs. Fever matchups last month were high-scoring games, with the Lynx winning 95-90 at Indiana on August 22 and 97-84 at home two days later.
We will see how much playing time Minnesota’s key players get tonight, but even if they get limited time, plenty of points should still be expected.
The Fever have scored 85+ points in 17 of their 23 wins this season, and they have given up 85+ points in 15 of their 20 losses this season. So, if they win, they will likely have scored a bunch of points in the process, and if they lose, they will likely have given up a bunch of points in the process.
2) Kelsey Mitchell over 20.5 points (-105 at Lucky Rebel)
In Sunday’s 94-65 win over the Mystics, Mitchell scored just 10 points in 25 minutes. That was just the third time all season that she was held to 10 or fewer points, and it was just the eighth time all season that she made four or fewer shots from the field.
Look for her to have a much more productive night against Minnesota. In the first two Lynx vs. Fever matchups, she scored 27 and 26 points, and the last ten times she was held to fewer than 15 points (including the Commissioner’s Cup championship game), she scored 21+ points in the next game all but one time.
3) Natasha Howard over 9.5 points (-115 at Bovada)
Howard has been hit or miss when it comes to scoring, but she comes into tonight’s game having scored 17 and 18 in her last two games.
Howard has scored in double figures three consecutive games just three times all season, and she hasn’t had 15+ points in three consecutive games at any point this season.
But the more she contributes, the better it is for Indiana’s chances to pick up a win that they need. When she has scored 15+ points this season, the Fever are 12-3, including their Commissioner’s Cup final victory vs. the Lynx.
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