The Indiana Fever's Cinderella run through the WNBA playoffs has come to an end, as the Las Vegas Aces knocked them out in a tense 107-98 overtime game in Game 5 of the semifinals. The Fever put up a valiant fight to get through the Atlanta Dream in the first round and then push the No. 2 seed to the brink, but now they're headed home.
It was mightily impressive for the Fever to get a win in Game 3 on the road against the Dream and again in Game 1 against the Aces before following it up with a win in Game 4 against Las Vegas to extend their season, but the circumstances make it even more admirable. Indiana was playing with nearly half of its rotation sidelined due to injury, including star guard Caitlin Clark and 3-and-D ace Sophie Cunningham.
After the Fever were eliminated on Tuesday night, head coach Stephanie White gave props to her team for the way they played in the postseason, via Brian Haenchen of Indy Star Sports.
“They have been an absolute joy to coach. It's an incredible group of women, an incredibly connected group,” White said after the game. “They're a great example to everybody of what it means to persevere, to welcome people to the fold, to not give into circumstance, to lead with grace and dignity, to sacrifice for a greater good and a common good. I'm so thankful to coach these women and I'm thankful for this experience with them.”
Late in Game 5, star big Aliyah Boston fouled out and high-scoring guard Kelsey Mitchell went down with an injury, leaving the Fever with just one of their five usual starters in Lexie Hull. However, they still battled and fought to the final buzzer, pushing Las Vegas to overtime and forcing the best out of one of the best teams in the WNBA to get the win.
Now, the Fever can focus on recharging this offseason and getting healthy to make another playoff run in 2026, hopefully with Clark and everyone else healthy and ready to go this time. They showed that they have playoff mettle during this run, and better injury luck should make them a contender in 2026 and beyond.
