The Indiana Fever ended a long franchise drought after their incredible 87-85 win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 3 of the first round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs on Thursday night.
Indiana suffered an 80-68 loss in Game 1 before bouncing back with a strong 77-60 win at home in Game 2. With the series being a best-of-three, the next team to win advances to the next round of the playoffs.
The Dream were the favorite as they boasted homecourt advantage, but the Fever had other plans. Despite trailing by as much as eight points, Indiana fought its way back as the squad made clutch plays down the stretch to complete the rally and stun Atlanta in the process.
With the victory, they ended a long postseason drought, per StatMuse. The series win marked their first since 2015, when they beat the New York Liberty in the Eastern Conference Finals after three games.
The Fever have won a playoff series for the first time since 2015. pic.twitter.com/1Hp9zega4l
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 19, 2025
How Fever played against Dream
It was an excellent win for the Fever, persevering against many odds to send the Dream packing early in the playoffs.
Atlanta had the momentum as the team led 56-49 at halftime. Despite this, Indiana did not the game get away from them. They went on to outscore the Dream 38-29 in the last 20 minutes of regulation, including 18-12 in the fourth quarter.
Free-throw shooting and turnovers made the difference in this matchup. The Fever made 17 of their 24 free throws for an accuracy of 70.8% while only turning the ball over six times. It wasn't the same case for the Dream, who missed six of their 11 free throws for a rate of 45.5% while committing 13 turnovers.
Five players scored in double-digits on Indiana's behalf. Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 24 points, two rebounds and an assist. She shot 7-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Odyssey Sims came next with 16 points and eight assists, Aliyah Boston had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Natasha Howard provided 12 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Lexie Hull put up 10 points and two steals.
The Fever will await their next series matchup on the East side of the playoff bracket. They will face the 2-seed Las Vegas Aces or 7-seed Seattle Storm as Game 1 will take place on Sept. 21.
