Two teams still searching for their footing early in the 2026 season walked into Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and throughout the game, it looked like either of them could take the win home. In a highly anticipated matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics, the Fever entered the game as the clear fan favorites, as even ESPN predicted that this would be in their favor with 74.3%.

And for a while, it looked like those predictions were going to hold up easily. Indiana opened the night playing some of their sharpest offensive basketball behind Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham, Monique Billings, and Aliyah Boston. But what started as a comfortable lead slowly turned into a complete momentum swing as Washington refused to let this slip.

From there, the contest kept shifting from one side to the other. The Mystics looked ready to pull away multiple times, only for Clark and the Fever to continue fighting back whenever it seemed out of reach. This was the kind of game fans will be talking about for a long time. So, let’s take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from one of the wildest games.

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The Indiana Fever opens the game with an offensive firestorm

With one of the strongest offensive lineups, the Fever immediately came out playing at a completely different pace offensively, which was far different from their earlier games. They were fast, aggressive, and gave every possession their all with transition pushes, ball movement, and elite perimeter shooting.

At one point through the quarter, the Fever held a 21-13 lead while shooting an incredible 8-of-12 from the floor.

A huge part of this explosion came from Clark, who buried back-to-back three-pointers and once again found herself making franchise history in the process. After becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points, 250 rebounds, and 250 assists against the Dallas Wings, she added another milestone in her bag by moving into fifth place on the Fever’s all-time assists list with her 471 career assists.

As the buzzers went off, the Fever finished their opening quarter shooting 6-of-7 from beyond the arc and led by as many as 13 points before the Mystics responded with an 8-6 run. Though Indiana started this game strong, they slowed their pace during the final four minutes of the quarter. In that period, they managed to score only two field goals. Still, despite their late slowdown, the Fever closed the quarter with a 28-21 lead.

Mystics flip the game as Indiana goes cold in the second quarter

If the Fever set the tone of what this game might look like after their opening run, the Mystics completely changed that rhythm in the second quarter.

Caitlin Clark & Co. were hitting everything from deep and moving at full speed offensively, but Washington went on to tighten the screws on defense and choked their opponents. And the result was a stunning turnaround that saw the Mystics outscore Indiana 20-9.

The Fever went ice cold and shot just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc and 4-of-21 overall. At one point, Washington went on a 16-4 run, which forced a timeout from head coach Stephanie White as the Fever started to look uncomfortable.

It was almost like the Mystics put the Fever on a lockdown. So by halftime, what was a 13-point deficit turned into a 41-37 lead for Washington.

The Game Slips Further Away as Mystics Tighten Grip

The third was no better for the Fever as Indiana struggled to find any consistent offensive rhythm.

Even though the Fever had brief flashes of life, the Mystics held onto their defense and dominance in the paint, which helped them lead by as many as 14 points.

A major factor in this quarter was Kiki Iriafen, who continued to be a matchup problem inside and out. She finished the stretch with 17 points and 7 rebounds, be it by finishing at the rim, drawing fouls, and even knocking down perimeter shots when needed. Alongside her, Shakira Austin also helped the Mystics completely control the paint.

Indiana finished the third quarter shooting just around the low-30s in shooting percentage. But what left the fans more concerned was a moment late in the quarter when Aliyah Boston was subbed out with around two minutes remaining. The 24-year-old did not return to the game, and the Fever later confirmed she would miss the rest of the game due to a lower leg injury. With Indiana already dealing with inconsistency from their frontcourt in recent games, any extended absence here could become a serious concern going forward.

So, as this quarter came to an end, the Mystics led with 67-58.

Caitlin Clark sends the game to overtime as the Indiana Fever refuse to fade

The fourth quarter of the game kept everyone on their toes.

Indiana only had one goal in these 10 minutes – not to let the game slip away. And that’s exactly what they did behind Clark.

As soon as the quarter kicked off, the Fever star came out aggressive from the deep and drilled back-to-back to cut the Mystics’ lead to just 5 points. However, she didn’t want the score to be just close enough.

With 6:51 left on the clock, she buried her fifth three-pointer of the night to give Indiana its first lead since the second quarter, and you can imagine the kind of buzz it sent in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. From there, the game turned into a tense trade of punches.

But the Fever kept finding answers through Caitlin Clark, and that’s when the moment came that left everyone jumping up from their seats.

Down late in regulation, Clark stepped into a 27-foot three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left and drilled it to tie the game at 89-89. From nearly being out of reach to forcing overtime, Clark’s fourth-quarter explosion (17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep) completely changed the trajectory of the game.

Mystics hold on in OT

Even though the Fever had multiple chances to flip the game in their favor, the Mystics ultimately held their nerve in the closing moments.

Mitchell had a clean look to tie the matchup again after Sonia Citron split a pair at the line late, but her hard luck sealed Indiana’s 104–102 defeat.

However, fans got to see the old Caitlin Clark once again as she led the charge when it mattered most and ended the night with 32 points, 8 assists, and 7 three-pointers. This was her best performance in the 2026 WNBA season so far.

This was a wild back-and-forth game that ended in heartbreak for Indiana. But to give credit where it’s due, Washington controlled the paint and executed better throughout the night, which ultimately made the difference.