Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Indiana Fever vs Minnesota Lynx: Can the Lynx stay on top of the West?

The Minnesota Lynx are hosting the Indiana Fever at Target Center on Sunday.

The Fever have picked up the pace

The Indiana Fever are third in the Eastern Conference with a 10-14 record, and and are 4-9 on the road. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 95-86 win over the Phoenix Mercury. The Fever are fifth in the league, shooting 33.7% from three-point territory, and 44.5% shooting from the field. Kelsey Mitchell is the leading scorer on the team with 16.8 points per game, followed by Caitlin Clark, who scores 16.4 per game.

The Lynx are the best team in the West

The Minnesota Lynx are on top of the Western Conference with a 16-7 record, including 10-2 at home. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 91-63 loss to the Seattle Storm. The Lynx are the best three-point shooting team in the league with 39.1% from deep and are ranked third with 44.3% shooting from the field and third, averaging 81.8 points per game. Napheesa Collier leads the Lynx with 20 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Betting Trends

The Fever are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games played on Sunday, 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games following a loss, 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games overall, 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games against teams with a winning record and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games against teams from the Western Conference. Indiana has played over the total point line in the last five games against teams with a winning record, in 7 of their last 9 games following an ATS loss, 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games following a win and in 16 of their last 22 games overall. The Lynx are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games played on Sunday, 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a loss, 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games against teams with a losing record, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 0-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing after a one-day rest. Minnesota has played under the total point line in their last six games overall, in the last five games following a ATS loss, in their last 4 games following a loss, in their last four games against teams from the Eastern Conference and in their last four games at home.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Minnesota Lynx have been the best team in the West all season long, but they are coming off the toughest loss of the season, failing by 28 against the Seattle Storm. Losing three of the last five games has put the Lynx only half a game ahead of the Aces, and they should definitely try to stay on top. Indiana has won the last two games against Minnesota, so the Lynx will get back on a winning streak, covering the -4.5-point spread.