Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston have the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever on the brink of an unexpected WNBA Finals trip.
But the Fever must win one more elimination game, and one more game on the road, in order to make that happen. They go up against MVP A’ja Wilson and the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Either Las Vegas or Indiana will advance to the finals to face the Phoenix Mercury, who knocked out the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.
Indiana started this semifinal series with a stellar 89-73 win at Las Vegas, but the Aces dominated Game 2 and moved ahead in Game 3 at Indiana, setting themselves up with an opportunity to clinch Sunday night.
According to Indiana coach Stephanie White, though, the Fever perform best when their backs are to the wall. Their 90-83 victory made them 3-0 in elimination games, following back-to-back wins to oust the Atlanta Dream.
“The desperation and the urgency that we play with when we’re in those positions has been exactly what we need,” White said. “And we’ve just got to bottle that up and take it with us. It’s a one-game season right now, and we’ve got to carry it all over, and we’ve got to be better.”
In a postseason with Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and multiple other key players sidelined by injury, the Fever have been buoyed by All-Stars Mitchell and Boston in the big moments. Mitchell dropped another 25 points in Game 4 to complement her 34-point outburst in Game 1. Boston racked up 24 points, 14 rebounds and five assists at center.
Mitchell could have sought a fresh start last offseason, with the Fever changing coaches and hiring White from the Connecticut Sun. Instead, she re-signed with the only WNBA team she’s ever known.
“I’m thankful that our fans continue to recognize her greatness, and I’m thankful that she decided to come back and join us,” White said. “I have watched Kelsey from afar and have wanted to coach her for such a long time and have enjoyed every opportunity that I’ve had.”
The series has featured the top two scorers of the playoffs, with Wilson averaging 24.7 points and Mitchell at 23.3 through seven games apiece. Wilson’s 31 points and nine boards weren’t enough for the Aces Sunday, as her teammates were in foul trouble, turnover-prone or both.
The Fever turned 17 Vegas turnovers into 25 points and enjoyed a 26-8 margin on free throws.
“I did appreciate it was a little tighter call, but tighter on both ends would have been nice,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.
Hammon is a win away from bringing the Aces to the finals for the third time in four years. White coached in the finals once before: in 2015, the first year of her first stint with Indiana.
–Field Level Media
