The Indiana Fever stunned everyone by advancing to the 2025 semifinals with an 87-85 upset victory over the No. 3 seed Atlanta Dream in Thursday’s decisive Game 3. Against all odds, and without several core players, including Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, Indiana pulled off one of the league’s most stunning playoff upsets in recent years.

Aliyah Boston’s layup with 7.4 seconds remaining sealed the win after Odyssey Sims found her wide open under the basket. The bucket capped off a comeback from an 85-80 deficit with just 2:32 left, following a Rhyne Howard three-pointer that appeared to swing momentum in Atlanta’s favor. Boston finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 24 points, going 3-for-6 from deep. Sims added 16 points and eight assists, playing a crucial role after signing a hardship contract midseason.

The Fever’s defensive stand closed the game, with Lexie Hull stealing a botched inbound pass from Howard in the final seconds. Allisha Gray led the Dream with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Jordin Canada tallied 18 points and 10 assists, and Howard contributed 16. Still, Atlanta could not hold on, falling despite leading 56-49 at halftime and by as many as eight in the second half.

Cunningham, sidelined since August with a torn MCL, voiced her thoughts on the Fever’s win during the ‘Show Me Something' podcast the following day.

“The league is so mad that we won, because we are literally not supposed to be here at all,” Cunningham said. “And that just fuels our fire even more.”

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Her absence has been significant, as she averaged 8.6 points this season on 43.2% three-point shooting before the injury. Cunningham’s role expanded when Clark missed time with quad and groin injuries, but both players were unavailable for the postseason. Indiana has also lost Sydney Colson, Chloe Bibby, and Aari McDonald to season-ending injuries, forcing the team to rely on hardship signings to fill its roster.

The upset victory came against a Dream squad that posted a 30-14 regular-season record under first-year head coach Karl Smesko after overhauling the roster with additions such as Brittney Griner, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, and rookies Te-Hina Paopao and Shyanne Sellers. Atlanta had entered the postseason heavily favored to advance, with experts projecting even a possible sweep of the Fever.

For Indiana, the victory is another step forward after last season’s return to the playoffs ended in a first-round sweep by the Connecticut Sun.

The Fever now faces the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, a best-of-five series beginning September 21 in Las Vegas.