Fever Face Tougher Tempo Test With Brittney Sykes' Injury Return

The Indiana Fever's upcoming game against the Toronto Tempo just got a bit tougher.

Toronto Tempo guard Brittney Sykes (20) celebrates the win against the Connecticut Sun. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the streaking Indiana Fever are clear favorites to beat the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday night, Indiana's task has become tougher with the Tempo getting one of its key players back.

Star Tempo guard Brittney Sykes is active for Tuesday night's game. She hasn't played for about two months, with her most recent game being against the Fever on June 16. Sykes suffered a left plantar fascia injury in her foot during that game, and while the initial worry was that she'd miss the rest of the season, the 32-year-old veteran is now back in action.

Sykes is expected to be on a minutes restriction for the game. But the fact that Toronto is getting a player who averaged 20.1 points per game before going down with that foot injury could be the jolt the rest of Toronto's roster needs to deliver an inspired performance against the Fever.

While still listed as Probable, Brittney Sykes is expected to return to the Tempo lineup tonight against Indiana on a minutes restriction. Brondello said at shootaround she’s telling Sykes to go and “play with joy” and that her presence will boost the team’s confidence.

— chelsea leite (@chelsealeite) August 18, 2026

The Tempo could definitely use a full complement of players, given that they're 10-23, have lost a staggering 10 straight games, and have come up short in 14 of their past 15 contests.

Fever Should Still Have No Issues Against Tempo

While anything can happen in a WNBA game, Sykes' return shouldn't pose too significant a problem for Indiana. Not only will she be on a minutes restriction, but she'll need to reacclimate to the court and to where the rest of her roster stands.

The Fever, on the other hand, are firing on all cylinders right now and continue to improve as the season progresses. So even though this is the Fever's first time in Toronto, one would imagine that they'll be able to secure a win.

And Indiana could use a relatively easy victory on Tuesday night, if only because their upcoming schedule is extremely tough. After Toronto, the Fever head to Dallas on Thursday, then go back up north to New York on Saturday, then finish their road trip with a game against the Chicago Sky on Sunday.

While none of these teams are among the league's best, the schedule is exhaustive, given the travel and the need to play four road games in six days.

The Fever will presumably be freshest against the Tempo on Tuesday night, even though it's their first time playing in Canada.

The bottom line is that Indiana has got to be feeling good about where they stand, given how good they've been playing of late.