The Indiana Fever played their worst game in a while against the Washington Mystics. Their defense was nonexistent, they shot just 37% from the field, and several key players didn’t produce enough.
Aliyah Boston was limited to 19 minutes and 7 points due to foul trouble. Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham, meanwhile, combined for just 20 minutes of playing time. Hull finished the game with 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal, while Cunningham’s stat sheet remained empty except for one foul. Rookie guard Raven Johnson outworked both of them, playing hard on defense and working on the glass, and earning 26 minutes next to Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.
Hull has struggled for most of the season, averaging significantly worse numbers than last season. Cunningham, on the other hand, was shooting lights out from deep earlier in the season and has cooled off notably recently. The loss to Washington marked the second time in her last five games that she didn’t make a single field goal.
Indiana needs more from both of them in the final two games of the season, and especially in the playoffs. Johnson played with great energy, but trusting a rookie guard without a steady 3-point shot is tough in the playoffs. Most importantly, a rookie should outwork two of your highest-paid vets when games matter the most.
Stephanie White also addressed what Hull and Cunningham need to do in the postgame press conference after the game.
“We’ve got to get them the ball in positions where they can get good shots and make shots,” White said. “And they gotta help us on the defensive end and rebounding the basketball.”
The Fever are heading into a brutal first-round series
The first-round matchups aren’t set quite yet, but Indiana faces one of the toughest battles, no matter who they’re playing. They are most likely to face the Atlanta Dream. Atlanta is short-handed without Brionna Jones, but desperate to finally get past the first round. Moreover, Angel Reese is playing her best basketball yet, and the Dream’s defense can be lethal with her, Rhyne Howard, and Jordin Canada leading all players in steals per game.
The Fever could also end up in first-round matchups with the Las Vegas Aces, Dallas Wings, Washington Mystics, or New York Liberty. The Mystics just showed them why that would be a tough first-round matchup. No one wants to face the defending champions or a Breanna-Stewart-led Liberty squad that may finally be finding its rhythm. The Wings and Paige Bueckers also cannot be underestimated.
The Fever’s first-round series will be so tough that they cannot afford unproductive games from two key players who are their only true wings and 3-and-D players.
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