The Indiana Fever will play the first game of the playoffs against the Dream without Damiris Dantas, who suffered a concussion during the team's practice Thursday and has entered the appropriate protocol. The news was shared by Fever and Pacers reporter Tony East.
The loss of Dantas is a blow to the team, and it's also a continuation of what has ended up being a frustrating and injury-plagued season.
Dantas is the sixth player the Fever have lost since they last played the Dream — a meeting that took place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 11. As a result, in nearly every way the Dream will be facing a team they don't recognize, which could give Indiana a slight edge in Sunday's opening game.
The July 11 game included Caitlin Clark, who hit 11 points and was between injuries; she was assisted by Sydney Colson and Aari MacDonald as back-up point guards, and Sophie Cunningham hit 16 points of her own. Chloe Bibby, who was benched with a knee injury on September 4, had not even joined the team at the time.
Since then, the Fever has welcomed several new players: Odyssey Sims joined on August 10, Shey Peddy on August 18, and Aerial Powers signed with the team on August 23.
Game one will take place in Atlanta
The Fever will meet the Dream in Atlanta at the Gateway Center Arena, which has a capacity of 3,500. The teams are unable to play at the larger State Farm Arena — which can hold more than 17,000 fans — due to a scheduling conflict. That reality has prompted a closer look at the relationship the Dream has with State Farm and the Hawks.
The Dream announced the team would no longer play at the State Farm Arena in 2019, a decision reached after they failed to negotiate a new deal with the Hawks. At the time, Atlanta attracted an average of 4,270 fans per game. That's not the case now, but the team has yet to secure a deal with the stadium and/or the Hawks that would allow them to play more games in the larger space.
The team sold out the State Farm Arena ahead of their season opener in May, a strong indication that there are plenty of WNBA fans in the city who want to see the team play. Unfortunately, the Dream has continued to play most of their games at College Park.