Indiana Fever Turn Nightmare Season Into Dream WNBA Playoff Matchup
In many ways the 2025 WNBA season has been a nightmare for the Indiana Fever. The team has dealt with tumultuous circumstances all year and has been absolutely ravaged by injuries—most notably to superstar Caitlin Clark.
However, through it all the Fever have persevered, and find themselves in the No. 6 seed with a first round playoff date against the Atlanta Dream.
No. 6 seed clinched ✔️
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 12, 2025
we will play No. 3 Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs starting Sunday.
more info: https://t.co/HrJaRiRV17 pic.twitter.com/ToZgoSh44n
Of course, Indiana still enters the series as significant underdogs, but given the team's recent play, fans will certainly be at least hopeful about a potential upset in the best-of-three contest.
In fact, (the also injured) Sophie Cunningham recently went as far as to say Atlanta was Indiana's preferred first round opponent.
.@sophaller gives her thoughts on the Fever’s outlook ahead of the playoffs pic.twitter.com/h0RFgBVdtA
— Show Me Something (@ShowMe_Pod) September 10, 2025
Indiana Fever vs Atlanta Dream Regular Season Results
The Fever and Dream faced off four times in the 2025 campaign, with the initial three matchups taking place in the first month of the season. The teams split the season series 2-2, but Clark was in uniform for both Indiana victories (she was out for one of the losses).
On paper, Atlanta presents a lot of problems. Both Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray are elite perimeter threats and the combination of Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner gives the Dream a size advantage almost every night out, though the squad has found its best success staggering the minutes between the two bigs.
Rebounding could be a key factor in the outcome of the series, especially on the defensive glass. Atlanta ranks number one overall in rebounds per game and in defensive rebounding, while the Fever come in at 9th and 11th respectively.
Indiana has been strong on the offensive boards however, resulting in leading the league in second chance points.
A stat that epitomizes the gritty effort of the @IndianaFever this year…
— John Nolan (@John_G_Nolan) September 9, 2025
2️⃣nd Chance Points: 12.7 per game (1st in the @WNBA) pic.twitter.com/8150SRzH0y
Indiana will need every bit of grit to combat Atlanta's clear advantage inside, but the Fever can make that up with speed.
Look for Kelsey Mitchell and company to push the ball at every opportunity against the Dream, as Atlanta is near the bottom of the WNBA in pace and will be vulnerable to Indiana's transition attack.
Both teams are offensively potent, so fastbreak opportunities will be key for Indiana, as will winning the battle from beyond the arc.
Atlanta gets up threes at a higher rate but the Fever convert at a better percentage. Where the volume and efficiency numbers meet could go a long way toward determining the outcome.
Fever Still Get Marquee Matchup Placement
One other notable aspect of this matchup is television placement. Despite Clark's absence, the Fever have remained the biggest draw in the WNBA. This is shown by Game 1 of the series against the Dream being the lone matchup on ABC this weekend, in the prime middle of the afternoon Sunday slot.
Indiana and Atlanta will play at 3 p.m. ET on ABC on Sunday, the league announces.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) September 12, 2025
Fever-Dream got the sole ABC slot of the day. All other games on Sunday will be on ESPN.
The saga that has been Indiana's season has both been fascinating and painful to follow. But the rollercoaster ride continues into the postseason, as the Fever have a chance to further spin a nightmarish set of events into a more satisfying conclusion—starting with the Dream matchup.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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