The Indiana Fever really did play this season until the wheels fell off. Game 5’s overtime heartbreaker included Kelsey Mitchell being carried off the floor in the 3rd quarter with lower body cramping later confirmed to be Rhabdomyolysis, the Fever’s latest body blow in a year full of them.
And yet, somehow someway, Indiana still dragged the defending champion Las Vegas Aces to the brink, forcing overtime before falling 107–98. It wasn’t the ending the Fever or their fans wanted, but it was about as on-brand as possible for this season. A team held together by grit, tape, crutches, and sheer stubbornness, pushing until there was nothing left to give.
A heavyweight fight from the start
Game 5 was nothing short of cinematic and just good basketball. Neither team led by more than a handful of points for most of the night. The first half featured 13 lead changes and 16 ties, with Las Vegas stars A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young powering the offense. Wilson, the four-time MVP, finished with 36 points and 18 rebounds, while Young poured in 31 points to help the Aces advance.
The Fever countered with balance. Six players reached double figures, led by Odyssey Sims’ 27 points and Natasha Howard’s 16. Aliyah Boston battled to a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.
Adversity strikes, but Fever push back
Midway through the third quarter, Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell exited with severe lower body cramping and was transported to a hospital for evaluation, where she was reported to be in stable condition. For a team already dealing with injuries, Mitchell’s exit felt like the breaking point.
But giving up hasn’t been in Indiana’s vocabulary all year. Sims sparked the fourth-quarter rally, scoring 10 points in the period, including the game-tying layup with 22 seconds left to force overtime. In that moment, the Fever had every reason to fold yet they kept fighting. That’s the story of their season.
Ultimately, championship poise won out. Chelsea Gray, who had briefly left the game after a foot injury in the third quarter, returned to score 8 of her 17 points in overtime, including back-to-back threes that gave the Aces breathing room. Wilson and Young iced the game at the free-throw line, booking Las Vegas’ fourth Finals trip in six years and ending the Fever’s season.
A cinematic goodbye
On paper, it was a loss. But in reality, it was the kind of finale Fever fans deserved. A shorthanded roster missing Caitlin Clark and other key contributors still pushed one of the most resilient teams in the league to the limit. They played through injuries, fouls, and exhaustion until, literally, the wheels gave out. Through constant roster changes and hardship player contracts, Indiana has been through it all this season.
Fever coach Stephanie White summed it up postgame: “They have been an absolute joy to coach…It’s an incredible group of women, an incredibly connected group. They’re a great example to everybody what it means to just put one foot in front of the other, to persevere, to welcome people into the fold, to not give in to circumstance…I’m just, I’m so thankful to coach these women, and I’m just thankful for this experience with them.”
That’s the epitaph for this season. The Fever didn’t just lose in Game 5, they went down swinging, fighting, and clawing until the very end. A team that refused to break finally ran out of road. If this year was the prologue, the rest of the league should be paying attention. Because if Indiana can make this much noise on a busted wheel, just wait until they get back to full strength next season.