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Indiana Fever team arrives ahead of WNBA playoff game against Dream
See the Indiana Fever arrive before the team takes on the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in the Fever’s first playoff home game in 9 years.
- Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston packed a scoring punch to lead the Fever to a Game 2 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team’s first playoff win in a decade.
- There were contributions up and down the roster, including a game-clinching run in the third quarter highlighted by the last 8.8 seconds.
- Game 3: Fever at Dream, 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever are heading back to Atlanta to decide which team will head to the WNBA semifinals.
The Fever demolished the Dream, 77-60, to keep their postseason hopes alive. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 19 points, while Aliyah Boston added on 15, Natasha Howard had 12, and Makayla Timpson had nine points off the bench.
Here’s what we learned:
Fever never trail in win over Dream, force decisive Game 3
When their backs were against the wall, the Fever never trailed to force a decisive Game 3. Indiana led by as many as 20 points, using a shift in the third quarter to build up their lead to a place Atlanta couldn’t reach.
The Fever held the Dream, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league, to just 1 of 10 from the field in the first half. The Dream only shot 5 of 19 (26%) from 3-point range in the entire 40 minutes.
Now, the Fever will head back to Atlanta for what has become a winner-take-all game. Indiana and Atlanta will tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at College Park Center in Atlanta.
Fever shift momentum in third quarter, final 8.8 seconds
Third quarters have historically been difficult for the Fever. But not Tuesday night. Where they usually have a slump, they shined.
Indiana outscored Atlanta, 24-15, in the third quarter, ballooning their lead to 15 points with five points in the final 8.8 seconds of the fourth quarter. Boston made a layup, then Mitchell stole the ball from Naz Hillmon on the inbound. She threw it back to Boston, who tossed it to a wide-open Lexie Hull in the corner.
She sunk the 3-pointer as time expired, and fans in Gainbridge Fieldhouse roared as they jumped to their feet. They had all the momentum.
It was building throughout final five minutes of the third quarter, as the Fever had just a 3-point lead with 4:59 left. Indiana then went on a 7-0 run after that timeout, and a 19-7 run over the final five minutes of the quarter.
And that was something Atlanta couldn’t come back from.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
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