ATLANTA — So little went right for the Indiana Fever this season. Star Caitlin Clark was limited to just 13 games because of injury before being ruled out for the year. Prized free agent acquisition DeWanna Bonner left midseason. Four other players suffered season-ending injuries, and a fifth has been sidelined to start the playoffs because of a concussion.

But in Thursday’s first-round, winner-take-all Game 3 on the road, Indiana finally had things break its way. Despite trailing for over 29 minutes, the No. 6 seed Fever held the No. 3 seed Dream scoreless in the final 2:30 and finished the game on a 7-0 run to shock Atlanta 87-85 and reach the semifinals for the first time since 2015.

Trailing by one point with less than 15 seconds left, the Fever’s Aliyah Boston nearly turned it over with the Dream’s Brionna Jones and Jordin Canada in close proximity. Kelsey Mitchell corralled the loose ball as Jones fell to the floor, delaying her ability to recover on defense. The broken play resulted in Odyssey Sims passing to Boston, whose layup with 7.4 seconds remaining gave the Fever their first lead since early in the second period.

On Atlanta’s next possession, Lexie Hull read the inbounds play and jumped in front of Canada for the steal. Sims went 1-for-2 from the free throw line with 1.2 seconds left, but Jones’ last-ditch shot at the buzzer was no good.

“I said before the game started, it was going to be a gut-check type of game,” said Mitchell, who had 24 points Thursday and was the leading scorer in every game this series. “We could have easily given up. We played them here in Atlanta. A lot of factors, the fans. And we didn’t.”

Added Natasha Howard: “I can’t put it in words. I’m just speechless right now, just how we fought through this whole game.”

The Fever will face the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces, winners of 18 of their past 19 games, in a best-of-five semifinal series that begins Sunday.

A month ago — when Clark’s return was in question and Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham went down because of season-ending injuries — a semifinals appearance for the Fever seemed far-fetched. Even a playoff berth was hardly guaranteed.

Instead, a group without its superstar and with just 10 active players, including four who joined on hardship contracts during the past five weeks, clinched the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2015 — when franchise legend Tamika Catchings was still on the team.

“We work so hard, and I’m just so proud of our group for staying with it,” Hull said. “I mean, it’s just insane that we’re playing in the semifinals. We believed it, but there’s so many people out there that didn’t. And so we’ve got another series.”

Indiana believed its experience playing through adversity during the regular season would be beneficial in the playoffs. That proved to be true, with the Fever surviving consecutive elimination games and overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit in Game 3 to beat the odds with such a short-handed group.

“This group is just really special,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “I mean, we say it pretty much ad nauseam, but it’s the resilience, the flexibility, the welcoming, inclusive nature of this team, their selflessness to pull for the we over the me, the ability to let each teammate be who they are and shine at their best and to lift them up. … You couple that with the resilience, the toughness, the grit, the fight, the scrappiness, and you always give yourself a chance.”

Atlanta controlled most of the game thanks to a fast-paced first half in which it dominated the paint (40 points) and scored 56 points overall — nearly as many as the team finished with in Game 2 (60).

Despite trailing, Indiana stayed within striking distance, never letting the Dream lead by more than eight. The Fever tightened their defense after the break, limiting Atlanta to just 29 points in the final 20 minutes — as many as the Dream scored in the second quarter.

The Fever saved their best for last, holding Atlanta to 0 for 3 shooting and forcing three turnovers in the final 2:30 of the game. The Dream finished 6-for-23 from the 3-point arc, had 14 turnovers and went to the free throw line 11 times, while the Fever finished with 24 free throw attempts.

“I think we just got stagnant,” Canada said of the second half. “We weren’t moving the ball like we were in the first half. … We were taking a lot of bad shots, and we were also rushing as well … and then we had some timely turnovers that they capitalized on.”

Mitchell and the Fever’s four other starters each scored in double figures in the win.

“We’ve been punched and punched and punched and punched and punched,” said Brianna Turner, whose defense in her 18 minutes off the bench was crucial. “We perform well with our backs against the wall.”

The last time the Fever were in the semifinals, White was the coach, and Howard — one of their big free agent signees from this offseason — was on the team as a second-year pro.

“I’m just so excited that we’re back here and with this group of young women,” Howard said, “and the job’s not done yet.”