Dual Dream Dates Will Put Fever Winning Streak to Test
While their Commissioner’s Cup play came to a close, neither the Indiana Fever nor the Atlanta Dream can take their foot off the gas just yet.
Indiana's recent storming surge in its Cup run left it with a 5-1 record in Cup play by the end of its 113-91 win over the Toronto Tempo. The Fever pushed ahead of the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun after a close win over the Washington Mystics, which put them on the heels of the Atlanta Dream and 1.5 games behind the New York Liberty in the Eastern Conference standings.
Indiana's recent race to the top will hinge on a home-and-home series against the Dream, who stand at 9-4 with wins of their own over the Sky and Sun. Atlanta finished its Cup slate with a 4-2 record, which followed a 3-2 mark from the year before.
The Liberty will move on to represent the East in the cup championship on June 30, where they'll face the Las Vegas Aces in their first cup championship appearance since 2024.
The Fever secured the Cup in a 2025 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, who have jumped out to a league-best 12-3 record as rookie sensation Olivia Miles's continued brilliance took the spotlight during tournament play (where Minnesota went 6-1). The Lynx steamrolled their cup opponents on their way to a +127 point differential, the highest since the Aces logged a +207 point differential in 10 bouts in 2023.
Where do the Fever and the Dream stand as they take their marks before a pair of defining battles following the league-wide race to the cup?
Are the Winning Ways Real, or Just a Fever Dream?
The Fever and the Dream will begin their dual dates with a primetime battle in Indianapolis on Thursday night. Indiana will have a recent winning streak on the line when it returns home, one that pushed it to a 9-5 record and a 3rd-place spot in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana last defeated the Dream in an 83-71 victory on its home floor, where guard Kelsey Mitchell slashed and dashed her way to a team-leading 25 points. Center Aliyah Boston, who took third place in the league's first returns of All-Star fan votes, added 19 points and three blocks while knocking down a trio of 3-pointers.
Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who was on triple-double watch during Indiana's last win over the Dream, was once again listed as "probable" heading into Thursday's game. But expect her to suit up.
The two-time All-Star and Fever headliner has been on a tear of her own in her last few matchups, including in a 32-point,10-assist performance in the Fever's win over the Sky. Her highlight passes against the Dream paved the way to snapping a short skid before Indiana's recent ascent in the WNBA standings.
Still, it wouldn't be wise to count out the Dream just yet.
Atlanta is following up its best regular-season run in team history with a hot start in 2026. The Dream will have the opportunity to continue following up each of their four losses with two consecutive wins, a consistent streak that began with an early loss to the Aces.
The Dream supercharged their frontcourt with the addition of former Sky forward Angel Reese, who has highlighted their starting five alongside the talented tandem of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. Reese has again been a force on the boards after being a WNBA peak performer in rebounding for two years in a row. She brought down a game-leading 10 boards in Indiana's win over the Dream as she battled inside for tough takes and rebounds.
While both sides have had their share of knockout victories on their way to high spots in the East, they have endured some rough patches against some of the league's heavyweight contenders. Atlanta opened its regular-season run with wins over the mighty Lynx and the Dallas Wings, but have since fallen to a handful of the league's top-ranked clubs.
The Fever played even with the Golden State Valkyries after posting a 1-1 season split in May, but have fallen in regular-season games against the Liberty and Wings. Both squads sit close behind the Liberty in the East standings, who added some breathing room with a razor-thin win over the Sky.
A small boost can mean everything in defining the Fever and Dream's star-studded seasons as they move closer to a key stretch of July matchups before the All-Star break.
The Fever will tip off against the Dream at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
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Alex Sabri began contributing to Women's Fastbreak On SI in May 2026. He also covers Ohio and Detroit sports for On SI and the BIGPLAY Sports Network.The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over four years of journalism and sports media experience across collegiate and professional sports and local coverage.Though he specializes in covering professional hoops, his interests include the WNBA, NBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.
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