Fever vs. Lynx prediction, odds, time, line: 2024 WNBA picks, Aug. 24 bets by proven expert

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.

Tipoff from Target Center in Minneapolis is set for 8 p.m. ET. Minnesota leads the all-time series 34-21. Minnesota is favored by 5.5 points in the latest Fever vs. Lynx odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 166.5. 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:

• Fever vs. Lynx spread: Minnesota -5.5
• Fever vs. Lynx over/under: 166.5 points
• Fever vs. Lynx money line: Minnesota -235, Indiana +192
• IND: The Fever are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games against a team with a winning straight-up record
• MIN: The Lynx are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games overall
• Fever vs. Lynx picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Lynx can cover

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. See who to back at SportsLine .

Why the Fever can cover

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. See who to back at SportsLine .

How to make Fever vs. Lynx picks

For Saturday's matchup, Wetzel is leaning Over the total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's also locked in a must-see Caitlin Clark prop. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine .

Who wins Fever vs. Lynx on Saturday, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Saturday's Fever vs. Lynx picks, all from the expert who is on a 238-185-1 roll on picks since last year .