It’s Day 2 of the WNBA playoffs, and two teams — the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm — are on the brink of elimination.
The Fever, who host the Atlanta Dream at 7:30 pm in Indianapolis, are looking to bounce back from an 80-68 Game 1 loss. The Storm, who host the Las Vegas Aces at 9:30pm ET in Seattle, will try to respond to a 102-77 blowout defeat in the postseason’s opening night.
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Both teams face an uphill battle.
How the Indiana Fever can tie it up
The Fever remain extremely shorthanded; Caitlin Clark (groin), Sophie Cunningham (torn MCL recovery), Chloe Bibby (knee), Aari McDonald (foot), Damiris Dantas (concussion protocol), and Sydney Colson (torn ACL recovery) are all sidelined.
Kelsey Mitchell gave it everything she had on Sunday, pouring in 27 points (9-18 FG) and 4 assists. She was also tasked with guarding Dream All-Star Allisha Gray.
But, no one else on the roster posted more than 10 points, and Aliyah Boston, Indiana’s other available All-Star, was limited to 8 points on 3-9 shooting. She fouled out of the game midway through the fourth quarter.
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Boston is going to have to be a two-way force for Indiana to have a shot here. She’s facing a formidable Dream post presence anchored by Brionna Jones, but it’s nothing she hasn’t seen before. In 10 career games against Jones, Boston has averaged 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds. She’ll need a big-time performance on Tuesday night.
Natasha Howard will also have to step up to the challenge. Howard was limited to 9 points and 7 boards on Sunday, and with so much scoring talent currently sidelined, Mitchell and the Fever will need more from the veteran forward.
Then, there’s Lexie Hull, who is shouldering a big load on both ends for Indiana. Hull played a game-high 36 minutes on Sunday, but shot poorly, hitting just 3 of 13 field goal attempts and 1 of 5 threes. Mitchell is going to need more scoring around her — her teammates collectively shot just 13 of 45 in Game 1 (28% from the field). Hull is someone who can explode for a big shooting game on any given night, and getting her going early will be key.
How the Seattle Storm can stay alive
The Storm, meanwhile, have been one of the WNBA’s more inconsistent teams and face an Aces squad that has won 17 straight games, including the last three by at least 25 points.
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The Storm will need more from everyone if they are to tie this up. Skylar Diggins, who didn’t make a shot in the first half of Game 1, needs to put together an All-Star-worthy performance. Brittney Sykes, who went scoreless on 0-3 shooting, has to demonstrate just why Seattle opted to acquire her at the deadline.
Seattle is going to have to bring a different level of focus and attention to detail on the defensive end, too. In Game 1, the Aces shot 50.7% from the field and 14-29 (48.3%) from three. When you’re dealing with A’ja Wilson on the interior, you can’t also afford the Aces guards going off from downtown. On Sunday, Jackie Young (4-6 from three) and Jewell Loyd (3-6 from three) did most of the damage from the perimeter, but 7 Aces made at least one three-pointer.
Nneka Ogwumike, the Storm’s leading scorer and most reliable two-way player, is also going to have to be more aggressive and efficient coming out of the gate. Ogwumike, who averaged 18.5 points on 60% true shooting in the regular season, finished Game 1 with just 11 points on 5-10 shots. The Storm doesn’t have the firepower to compete with the Aces if their leading scorer doesn’t deliver to her full capabilities.
