Fever Resurges: Beats Dream and Remains Alive in WNBA Playoffs

Indiana Fever Resurges with Crucial Victory Against Dream

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever team has shown remarkable resilience throughout the season, overcoming adversity and injuries to key players like Caitlin Clark and four other team members. After falling in the first game of the playoff series against the Atlanta Dream, the Fever responded with a dominant performance on Tuesday night, securing a crucial victory with a score of 77-60.

This group has continued to show their heart and character, night after night.

Stephanie White, Indiana Coach

The Fever, seeded sixth, led from start to finish, reaching a lead of up to 24 points. The victory marked the team’s triumphant return to its first home playoff game since 2016, breaking a streak of nine seasons without a playoff win and achieving the second-largest postseason victory when facing elimination.

We knew they would come out to compete. They have been resilient all year.

Karl Smesko, Atlanta Coach

The decisive game, a Game 3 with a “winner takes all” format, will be played on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Atlanta, with the semi-final on the horizon for Sunday.

Our backs were against the wall at this moment, and we know we’ve been through a lot this season. To come out with this win and give ourselves another chance in Game 3, the emotions are high.

Aliyah Boston, Fever Star Player

The Fever took control at the end of the third quarter with a 7-0 run in the final 44 seconds. A late three-pointer by Lexie Hull, after a steal, put Indiana up by 15 points, unleashing euphoria in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. That momentum translated into a dominant start to the fourth quarter, culminating in a 27-7 run that sealed the victory.

We’ve seen our team have lapses from one game to the next. I felt good about the fact that we responded when we needed to.

Kelsey Mitchell, Fever Player

Mitchell led the attack with 19 points. Boston (15 points) and Natasha Howard (12) also contributed with important scores. The team scored eight three-pointers, improving their offensive performance compared to the first game.

The Fever’s defense also shone, limiting the Atlanta Dream to their second-lowest score of the season and 5 of 19 from three-point range. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, key players for Atlanta, were held to a combined total of 19 points on 7 of 25 shooting.

They were defensively aggressive. They were super physical… We’ll have to shoot better, but we have a lot of talented offensive players, and I think we’ll do well in the next game.

Karl Smesko, Atlanta Coach

In Game 3, the Fever will look to secure their first playoff series win since 2015, while for the Dream it would be their first since 2018.

I have a lot of confidence in this team. I really believe we will play our best game of the series in the next game.

Karl Smesko, Atlanta Coach

This is a group whose confidence has truly never wavered. We’ve been in all sorts of situations you can imagine, and we’ve been able to find ways to put ourselves in a position to win. And this won’t be any different.

Stephanie White, Indiana Coach