It was a rough outing for Indiana in many ways, but it masked what was otherwise a productive week for the Fever. They are pushing toward the playoffs with four games to go and, despite that loss, still control their own destiny to finish in the postseason field with less than 10 days left in the regular season.
“All of these games are very important. These games are playoff games,” Fever veteran Natasha Howard said of Indiana’s remaining schedule. “Our main thing right now is just focusing on the scouting report [of] whoever we’ve got next.”
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Entering last week, the Fever sat in eighth place at 19-18. The Seattle Storm were in sixth, Golden State in seventh, and the Los Angeles Sparks in ninth. Fittingly, those were Indiana’s three opponents this week — that trio of games would go a long way in determining the Fever’s playoff odds down the stretch.
Things started off well. Seattle physically traveled to Indianapolis on Tuesday, but the Fever handled the Storm so easily that the visitors might as well have not shown up. Indiana entered the game having lost six of their last eight outings — they needed a get-right win.
They got it, and convincingly. The Fever lead was in double figures by the second quarter, was in the 20s in the third quarter, and peaked at 30 in the middle of the final frame. The 95-75 victory was proof that even in their currently-hobbled state, the Fever still have a high level they can reach.
“Going into this game, we talked about that this was going to be a big game for us considering the standings,” Fever All-Star center Aliyah Boston said postgame. The team played like they felt that importance.
The win temporarily placed the Indiana Fever in sixth place in the standings. But their biggest game of the week — and the one they needed a win in the most — was still coming on Friday when they battled the Sparks. LA had already defeated Indiana three times this season, their strong offense had given the Fever trouble.
On Friday, the two teams battled again. The Sparks are in ninth place and are the team looking to disrupt the playoff party — as of this writing, they are the only team outside of the postseason picture that could still finish inside of the top eight. Beating them, and widening the win percentage gap between the two squads, was critical for the Fever.
Early, Indiana stunk. The Sparks lead reached 10 in the first quarter, and it looked like the game was going to be a repeat of the first three meetings. But the Fever found a higher defensive level quickly, giving up just 27 points across the second and third quarters combined. In that third period, Indiana grabbed the scoring advantage for the first time.
The game stayed close, and it set up an epic finish. The Fever led with three minutes left. The Sparks were ahead with two minutes on the clock, then one minute. But Odyssey Sims saved the day. She hit a huge three to tie the game, then gave Indiana the lead with 13 seconds to go.
Indiana held on for a 76-75 victory, and with the week now over they hold a two-game standings lead over the Sparks. They are three games ahead in the win column thanks to Sims’ heroics.
“Our goal was to come in here and get the W. We succeeded in that even though it wasn’t pretty,” Sims said postgame.
“One of the things that sometimes goes missing is the character of these women,” head coach Stephanie White added. “These are women who care about winning. These are women who care about one another.”
So while the Fever fell Sunday in Golden State, which was a tough loss, they still had a strong week thanks to their two wins against opponents nearby in the standings. They have four games remaining in the campaign and still sit inside of the playoff picture.
Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, wrote this deeply-reported story. Rare Gems follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout to save 30%!
Hardship players have been stepping up for the Fever
Sims late-game shot making in LA was potentially season-altering — in a good way — for the Fever. She’s been great since being added on a hardship contract, currently posting averages of 10.6 points and 4.1 assists per game.
The veteran has been a starter with Caitlin Clark out. That, combined with the season-ending injuries to Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, has made Sims indispensable for the Indiana Fever. She’s stepped up with solid production, and her clutch shotmaking in two recent wins (at Los Angeles and at Connecticut) has kept the Fever’s season on the tracks.
“I think I’m the human definition of ‘stay ready so you don’t have to get ready’,” Sims said. “I think every opportunity that has been given to me, I’ve taken full advantage of it.”
The positional need Sims is filling, combined with her many successes, will keep Sims around for the rest of the campaign. She signed a rest-of-season hardship contract on Sunday, meaning she will spend the remainder of 2025 with the Fever and is eligible to play in the postseason. Even if Clark returns, there’s an obvious rotation spot for Sims as her backup. It was the right move for Indiana to keep her.
She isn’t the only hardship player making an impact, though. After wing Sophie Cunningham went down with a knee injury, the Fever needed another wing — and that need became more pressing when reserve forward Chloe Bibby began dealing with knee soreness. The Fever brought in Aerial Powers as a result, and she signed a second 7-day hardship contract on Saturday.
Powers has filled in well mostly by being a wing that can do wing stuff. She’s a capable shooter and hit multiple triples in the aforementioned win over the Sparks, and her defense has been sufficient. White already trusts Powers enough to play her 15-20 minutes per night.
The most obvious area in which the 2019 champion has added value is on the glass. The Fever, who rank eighth in rebounds per game and 11th in defensive rebounds per game, have felt a lift from Powers in that department — the hardship signee is averaging six boards per contest, including 4.3 on the defensive end. That infusion of skill has been noticeable.
Shey Peddy is the backup floor general behind Sims, and she’s cooled off after a red-hot start from deep with Indiana. But she’s been a steady, organizing hand at backup point guard, and the Fever need depth at the position. Peddy has just one turnover across her last four appearances.
White typically plays nine players in a game, sometimes stretching her rotation to 10. That means 30-33.3% of the Fever’s rotation has been hardship players for the last few weeks. In a key stretch of three games during which Indiana needed wins, the trio has helped the team stay afloat. Should the Fever end up in the postseason, they’ll look back on this stretch of success from their hardship players as critical. They’d be worse off without them right now.
The road ahead is kind to Indiana
Indiana has four games left, and two of them are against teams who have been eliminated from playoff contention (Washington and Chicago). Their final game is against Minnesota, a team that has already clinched the top seed and has little to play for — they might not have their foot on the gas.
According to Tankathon, who tracks the remaining strength of schedule for each team, the Fever have the easiest schedule of teams 6-9 in the standings. Seattle still plays a game against Golden State and Los Angeles, and one team has to lose in those matchups. While the Indiana Fever would like to have already locked up a postseason spot, their odds of earning a spot in the playoff field is still high.
The Fever’s magic number to secure a postseason spot is four. After their strong week of results and good play from hardship players, the odds of a second-consecutive playoff appearance for Indiana has gone up.
