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Aug 21, 2009 - 5:01 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Indiana (19-6) at Seattle (14-11), 10:00 p.m. EDT

The Indiana Fever couldn't capitalize on their first chance to clinch a playoff berth, blowing a fourth-quarter lead to the league's worst team.

It's unlikely the Seattle Storm will be very sympathetic.

The Eastern Conference-leading Fever look to bounce back from their surprising loss Saturday night in Seattle, where the Storm begin a four-game homestand that could help them wrap up the West's No. 2 seed.

Indiana (19-6) figured to have no trouble being the WNBA's first team to clinch a playoff berth in its opener of a two-game swing Thursday against last-place Sacramento.

The Fever held a six-point lead with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter, but fell apart from there. Indiana committed four of its 23 turnovers in the final three minutes, and the Monarchs ended the game on a 13-2 run en route to a 67-62 win.

"It's very disappointing because not everyone came ready to play 100 percent tonight and it showed," said Fever forward Tamika Catchings, who had 16 points, nine rebounds and five steals. "We weren't overlooking them, our motto all year has been one game at a time. Sacramento is probably one of the best worst-record teams in the league."

Though the Fever have a five-game lead in the East, Thursday's loss dropped them to 4-4 against the West.

Seattle (14-11), meanwhile, has had similar issues in interconference games. The Storm are second in the West thanks to their 12-5 record within the conference but are 2-6 versus Eastern opponents, which they'll face in their next six games.

They earned a big victory over an Eastern foe in their most recent game, however. After losing by an average of 10.0 points at Connecticut and Atlanta, Seattle closed its three-game road trip Tuesday with a 79-75 win in Detroit behind 36 points from Lauren Jackson.

"There was no way in hell I was losing this game tonight," said Jackson, who hadn't practiced since suffering a back injury Saturday in the loss to the Dream. "We needed this one too much."

Jackson, who averages 19.9 points, had 21 when the Storm visited Conseco Fieldhouse on June 9. Seattle shot 49.0 percent from the field and Indiana made just 37.3 percent of its shots, but a 19-10 turnover disparity doomed the Storm in a 73-66 loss.

Katie Douglas had 20 points and Ebony Hoffman added 18 for the Fever. Catchings chipped in with 14 points despite going 2 of 12 from the field.

Jackson has averaged 22.5 points in leading the Storm to wins in Indiana's last two trips to Key Arena.