Teams that are battling for playoff position meet in a key WNBA regular season matchup on Saturday when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever take on the Minnesota Lynx. Indiana won the first matchup between the teams, 81-74 on July 14, and Minnesota is playing its third game in four days. The Fever (13-15), third in the Eastern Conference, have won four of the past five games. The Lynx (21-8), first in the Western Conference, have won seven of nine, including five in a row.
The Fever will visit the Lynx on Minnesota's home turf at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Aug. 24. The Fever vs. Lynx game tips off at 8 p.m. ET, airing live on WNBA League Pass and in local markets.
Fever vs. Lynx: A Look at the Key Players
The Lynx are powered by forward Napheesa Collier, who poured in 27 points, while adding 18 rebounds and five assists in Friday night's 87-74 win over the Las Vegas Aces. It was the third game in a row in which she scored 23 or more points. Coming into the weekend, she was averaging 20.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks in 34.3 minutes. She is hitting on 48.8% of her field goals, including 33.8% from 3-point range.
Guard Kayla McBride scored 12 points in Friday's win over the Aces. She has reached double-digit scoring in 14 consecutive games. She scored 30 points in an 86-79 win over Atlanta on July 17, and had a season-high 32 points in an 83-64 win over Seattle on June 9. For the year, the 11-year veteran is averaging 15.8 points, 3.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 31.9 minutes per game.
The Fever are led by rookie sensation Clark. In 28 games, all starts, she is averaging 17.8 points, 8.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals. She has scored 20 or more points in each of the last two games, including a 29-point, 10-assist and five-rebound effort in a 98-89 win over Phoenix on Aug. 16. She's got one triple-double on the year, a 19-point, 13-assist and 12-rebound effort in an 83-78 win over New York on July 6. She has nine double-doubles on the year.
Also helping power Indiana is guard Kelsey Mitchell, who has started 26 of 28 games this year. She is coming off a 27-point, three-assist, three-steal and two-rebound performance in a 92-75 win over Seattle on Sunday. She had 28 points and five rebounds in the win over Phoenix. For the season, she is averaging 17.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 31.4 minutes of action.
Fever vs. Lynx: Breaking Down the Matchup
The Indiana Fever hit the road for the first time following the Olympic break to take on the Minnesota Lynx for the second of three matchups during the regular season. The last time Indiana and Minnesota met at Target Center was a Fever 81-74 win back on July 14. The final matchup of the regular season will be on September 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana to the July 14th win at Minnesota with a game-high 21 points against the Lynx. Fever center Aliyah Boston followed with 17 points and a career-best 16 rebounds, and guard Caitlin Clark recorded 17 points as well. Indiana cemented the win in the fourth quarter, as the Fever held the Lynx to only 4-of-13 shooting and outscored Minnesota, 28-14, in the final 10 minutes. Boston enters Saturday only 29 points shy of reaching 1,000 points for her career and would be the 19th player in franchise history to surpass 1,000 points with the Fever.
Indiana enters Saturday night after two home wins against the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm last week. Clark and Mitchell both scored at least 20 points and combined for 107 points total in the last two games. Clark ended the week averaging 26.0 points, 9.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and earned Associated Press Player of the Week. Mitchell wrapped the week averaging 27.5 points and a 52.4 percent shooting rate from 3-point range as well. Boston and Fever forward NaLyssa Smith combined for 40 rebounds in the last two games as well.
Saturday will be Minnesota’s fifth game following the Olympic break and third at home. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who most recently helped the USA Women’s National Team win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, helped fuel the Lynx to Friday night’s win against Las Vegas, 87-74. Collier scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds to help the Minnesota Lynx earn its fifth straight win. Collier finished 11-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, with five assists and two steals. Alanna Smith scored 15 points for the Lynx, while Courtney Williams scored 13 points. Williams left the game after she suffered a non-contact injury midway through the fourth quarter and did not return.
Fever vs. Lynx: Where to Watch
The Fever at Lynx game will be broadcast locally in Minnesota on Bally Sports Pass North Extra and Bally Sports Indiana. You can also check out today's game on Fubo, or with a League Pass subscription.
Fever vs. Lynx: Predictions & Odds
The Lynx are favored by 4.5 points in the latest Fever vs. Lynx odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 167.5. Before making any Lynx vs. Fever picks, check out what SportsLine women's basketball expert Calvin Wetzel has to say.
Wetzel, HerHoopStats.com lead betting writer, incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women's hoops to turn the site's prediction model into picks. After teaming up with Aaron Barzilai, a Ph.D. from Stanford, Wetzel is an incredible 1,385-988 (+372.33 units) on women's college basketball picks since the start of the 2021-22 season. He's also coming off a great 2023 season with a 238-185-1 overall record that featured a return on investment of nearly 7%. Anyone following him has seen huge returns.
Now, Wetzel has set his sights on Fever vs. Lynx. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the WNBA lines and trends for Lynx vs. Fever:
Final Thoughts
This game promises to be special as the Lynx retire Maya Moore Irons’ jersey. It's the second of three matchups this season, with the Fever having won the first 81-74 on July 14. The Fever (13-15) have won two straight and three of their last four. The Lynx are aiming for their sixth straight win tonight after defeating the Las Vegas Aces on Friday in the first game of their final back-to-back of the season.
