The Indiana Fever may just have been exposed with a week left in the season originally appeared on The Sporting News
Is the pressure getting to the Indiana Fever?
On a contentious night in Phoenix, the Fever suffered an 85-79 loss to the Mercury that put their playoff hopes in some jeopardy. In the fourth quarter, injured star Caitlin Clark had a verbal confrontation with Phoenix’s DeWanna Bonner during a review of a shooting foul; it ended with Clark waving off her former teammate, who left Indiana in acrimonious circumstances in June.
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What might be more concerning though is how the Mercury seemed to “figure out” the Fever, especially after Phoenix closed the first half on a game-changing 15-3 run.
MORE: Fever pump the brakes on Caitlin Clark’s possible return
Mercury star Alyssa Thomas worked with Fever head coach Stephanie White when the two were in Connecticut in 2023 and 2024. She said post-game that Phoenix knew exactly what plays and sets Indiana was going to run — right after limiting the Fever to eight free-throw attempts for the entire game
“We know everything they’re trying to run, so we form a game plan around that,” Thomas said after scoring a team-high 23 points. “We know they’re a team that likes to get to the free-throw line, and our goal is to limit second-chance opportunities.”
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After losing in Phoenix, Indiana fell to 21-20 on the season. Though the Fever remain a strong bet to make the playoffs, White has been forced to transform the Fever repeatedly in 2025, in light of injuries to Clark, Sophie Cunningham and others.
Only time will tell whether White and her staff have one more trick up their sleeves, as Clark’s status for the final week of the regular season remains up in the air.
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