INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 15: Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell 0 make a strong move to the basket durning a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Washington Mystics and the Indiana Fever on August 15, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 15 Washington Mystics at Indiana Fever EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon081525012
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 15: Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell 0 make a strong move to the basket durning a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Washington Mystics and the Indiana Fever on August 15, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 15 Washington Mystics at Indiana Fever EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon081525012
Kelsey Mitchell has emerged as one of the most consistent scoring options for the fever, and her game against Atlanta illustrated perfectly why the Indiana Fever depend on her in crucial moments.
In an interview with ABC Sports during halftime, Mitchell described the mentality that Indiana has been using to get off to such a great start.
"I think it's a little bit more passion. Can't be soft. We gotta punch first because they're gonna punch. They're not gonna stop," She said on ABC and the ESPN App.
This mentality was evident on the scoreboard, with Indiana shooting 61 percent from the floor and 60 percent from beyond the arc in the first two quarters, taking a 59-56 lead into halftime.
Mitchell had scored more than anyone else at that point, scoring 16 points on six of nine shooting, with Caitlin Clark contributing 15 points on six of eight shooting.
The approach by Indiana was made heavier because it was two days after Angel Reese and her teammates beat Indiana 108-101 during their prime-time game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Saturday game provided Indiana a chance to make up for the loss quickly.
This urgency came at a price defensively for the team, with Boston, Billings, and Hines-Allen all committing three fouls each by halftime. Atlanta kept pace despite this, as it shot 50 percent from deep, getting 15 points from Naz Hillmon in the first half alone.
The halftime dominance by Indiana did not hold up for long, though. The Fever just crumbled in the third quarter and even worse in the second half, losing to the Dream by a final score of 113-96.
Dream Pull Away as Reese and Atlanta Complete Season Sweep
Atlanta owned the third quarter, outscoring Indiana 28-15 for an 84-74 lead going into the final quarter.
This quarter saw great contributions from Reese, who scored eight points and pulled in five rebounds in the first two quarters, and added a steal and lay-up to change the momentum in favor of the Dream.
Clark continued scoring solo and added eight more points in the third quarter, while her teammates cooled down and contributed seven points collectively as Atlanta’s defense stepped up its pressure on her.
Indiana was unable to retake the lead from there. The Dream finished off the contest with a balanced scoring attack, getting 24 points from Rhyne Howard and 22 from Allisha Gray, raising their record to 11-4 and completing the season sweep of the Fever thus far.
The Fever fall to 9-7, putting them 2.5 games back in the East, with both squads playing on Monday against the Lynx and Mercury, respectively.
Can Indiana solve Atlanta’s problems before the playoffs come around, or is this series shifting in favor of Atlanta? Comment below.
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Written by
Utsav Gupta
Edited by
Utsav Gupta