“Indiana has not been the same team at home this season.” Fans around Indy complained as the Fever would mostly fail to add to the win column at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse as compared to the last season. But when the shove comes to push, The Fever Rises and that’s exactly what happened tonight. A fuming Becky Hammon, who failed to deploy any of her offensive scheme against the ever-improving Indiana defense to land the lowest scores in her tenure with the Aces, bashed the team outright, “I don’t know how you step on to the floor with 20,000 people in the stands and perform like that.” 

Fever, who continue to miss their star performer in Caitlin Clark with the groin injury, came out blazing hot like they do with their unmatchable speed already breaking down defense on the Aces. However, with most offensive plays drawn for A’ja Wilson after the rest of the team failed to put the ball in the basket, the Fever got better targets. Indiana always held the lead and never looked back. In fact, Aces’ first bucket came two and a half minutes into the ball game. Despite coming close to bridge the gap early in the second quarter, Fever did not let go, only increasing the point differential for good. Interestingly, they didn’t slip in the second half either.

Before they won the Commissioner’s Cup, 74-59 over the Minnesota Lynx, Fever fans grew quite frustrated with the team losing the games in the final quarter despite a good lead initially. Moreover, in Indiana’s last matchup with the Aces, where they lost 81-89 on road, the Fever held the lead in the first half, but completely lost its rhythm by the last ten minutes. But not this time. The result? As Scott Agness, Indiana’s beat reporter tweeted, “Tonight was the Fever’s first win over the Aces since 2019 — after 16 straight losses. Kelsey Mitchell has been there for all of them.” And who better to share thoughts than the 8-year team veteran?

In her post game presser, Kelsey Mitchell talked about the win, “I was like ‘It’s been since 2000-something here. But, on the bright side, organizations go through certain things. You know, there’s lows in every part of life. And I think, for us in the Fever, it was our time. And I think we kind of deserved it based on our preparation and everything we had been through prior to this game. I think you guys got to see what it looked like for us to stay resilient throughout the course of… what… 48 hours. We just played Minnesota, and we got to prepare for this. You guys have to see what it’s like for us to be resilient.”

After a perfect road performance in the Cup, Indiana came back home and delivered an equally perfect follow-up. Sure, they celebrated – we saw the viral IG Lives and dancing videos – but they didn’t lose focus. Mitchell said they’d enjoy the moment, but it was clear this team had bigger goals. They knew what was on the line. 

Unlike their very first matchup of the season, head coach Stephanie White believed her squad had leveled up despite losing Clark to the groin injury. “I think we’re a better defensive team today than we were the last time we played them even though it wasn’t very long ago,” she said. 

This win ended the second-longest head-to-head losing streak in WNBA history. Indiana was locked in. Mitchell continued that tear, putting up at least 20 points for the fifth time in six games. From the jump, Indiana’s offense was cooking. It was smooth, fluid, and the ball never stopped moving. And defensively, it couldn’t have been better.

They completely suffocated the Aces, holding them to just 25.8% shooting in the first half. Vegas kept trying to run their usual stuff, but everything stalled into one-action sets, and it was just Wilson carrying the weight.

A’ja Wilson did everything she could – 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting. But at one point when the TV broadcast showed highest scorer up to that point, Fever had three players in double-digits– Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Natasha Howard. And the Aces? There were three names on the board with Wilson in double-digits, but as Debbie Antonelli, the announcer for the game said, “These are not the highest scorers but the only scorers for the Las Vegas Aces.”

It’s simply not going to cut it when the other four of your starters combine for only 12. Meanwhile, Indiana was getting whatever it wanted in the paint. They scored 28 of their 46 first-half points down low, and it didn’t slow down from there. By the time the final buzzer hit, it was an 81-54 blowout. So now, the standings tell a different story. The Fever are 9-8 and rising. The Aces are 8-9 and sliding, having lost two of their last three.

What made the difference? Preparation. Execution. Resilience. And as Mitchell said, maybe it was just finally their time. Amidst it all, they gave us plenty of heroic moments to talk about. 

Lexie Hull & Kelsey Mitchell impress with gritty play as coach Caitlin Clark cheers Fever on

The Indiana Fever leaned on hustle plays and timely shooting to pull off what might be one of their most satisfying wins of the season. Even with a double-digit lead, they didn’t let up. Late in the third quarter, Sophie Cunningham read the Aces like a book, stepped in front of a backcourt pass, and cashed it in with a slick layup.

But the moment that really cracked the game wide open? That came smack in the middle of the third. Lexie Hull dove on a loose ball right in the paint, got possession while everyone else was standing around, and dished it out to Kelsey Mitchell in the corner. Mitchell drained the three. The lead jumped to 19, and that was pretty much that. 

The Fever held on from there. The team’s X account called it the Rush Bowls Play of the Game, and for good reason. Mitchell led the charge with 25 points and just kept hitting big shots when it mattered. Hull, on the other hand, was all over the place, finishing with 6 points and 7 rebounds. But her defensive presence on the floor was as usual the biggest impact. Not to mention, she continues to lead the league in three-pointers from the corner and a 3-point percentage of 48.9.

And even though Caitlin Clark is still sidelined with that groin injury, she is not just sitting around. She’s been showing up for fans before tip-off, signing autographs like always. During games, she’s letting the refs know what she’s seeing. One clip from the game had Stephanie White talking toward the bench, and Clark gave her a playful side-eye and smirk that fans are now calling “Coach Clark” energy online.

But, surely, Indy is living its good basketball days. Just a week ago, this team was hit with another setback right after getting Clark back. Now, they’re rising. Hope they’re here to stay.