Fever vs. Storm prediction, odds, spread, line: 2024 WNBA picks, Caitlin Clark best bets for Aug. 18

The WNBA season is finally back in action after a month off for the 2024 Paris Olympics and teams are ready to make a second-half push for the playoffs. The Indiana Fever (12-15) host the Seattle Storm (17-9) in a cross-conference battle on Sunday afternoon. On Friday, the Fever came out with a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury. The Storm, meanwhile, suffered an 83-81 setback against the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 16.

Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana. The Storm are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Storm vs. Fever odds, while the over/under for total points is 169. Before locking in any Fever vs. Storm picks or WNBA predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's Calvin Wetzel has to say .

Wetzel, HerHoopStats.com's 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 broken down Fever vs. Storm from every angle and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks . Here are the lines and betting trends for Storm vs. Fever:

• Fever vs. Storm spread: Seattle -3.5
• Fever vs. Storm over/under: 169 points
• Fever vs. Storm money line: Seattle -168, Indiana +135
• SEA: The Storm are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games playing on one day of rest
• IND: The Fever are 4-0 ATS in their last four Sunday games
• Fever vs. Storm picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Fever can cover

Indiana was one of the top offenses in the WNBA during the first half of the season. The Fever are fifth in the league in scoring offense (82.4) and 3-pointers made (229), while ranking third in field-goal percentage (44.9%). They hit the ground running in their first contest back from the break, with four of the five starters scoring in double figures.

Guard Caitlin Clark was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and she's put her stellar play on display all season long. Clark is an effortless space creator with a great court vision to find open teammates. The Iowa product leads the team in scoring (17.6) and steals (1.4). She also ranks first in the WNBA in assists (8.3). In Friday's win, Clark finished with 29 points, 10 assists, and made four three 3-pointers. See picks at SportsLine .

Why the Storm can cover

Seattle is one of the top teams in the league. They are currently the fifth-best squad in the WNBA with 17 wins and a 65% win percentage. The Storm are third in the league in points per game (84.2), second in rebounds (35.7) but first in steals (9.7) and blocks (5.4). Guard Jewell Loyd is a three-level scorer who impacts the game in a variety of ways.

Loyd ranks fourth in the league in scoring (20.2) to go along with 4.7 rebounds and four assists per game. In her last outing, the 30-year-old finished with 21 points, five rebounds and two steals. Forward Nneka Ogwumike thrives in the frontcourt. She averages 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. In addition, she's fourth in the league in field-goal percentage (53%). During Friday's loss, Ogwumike had 16 points and six rebounds and went 7-of-10 from the floor. See the picks at SportsLine .

How to make Fever vs. Storm picks

Wetzel has analyzed Storm vs. Fever from every angle, and he's leaning Over on the point total. He has also found a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread as well as a strong Caitlin Clark prop. He's sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine .

So who wins Fever vs. Storm on Sunday, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the expert with a history of crushing his women's basketball picks , and find out.