What a night it was for the Indiana Fever. Their matchup against the Connecticut Sun carried huge playoff implications, as a win would secure a stronger seeding. But the Fever stumbled out of the gate, and by halftime, they trailed by 19 points. To make matters worse, Sophie Cunningham went down with an injury, leaving the team without one of its key contributors.

The first half was a mess for the visiting team. They failed to reach the twenty-point mark as a team while Sun scored 24 points per quarter. Their shooting from beyond the arc was abysmal, with Sims, Cunningham, Dantas, and Bibby also failing to score. Just when it seemed the game was slipping away, Kelsey Mitchell stepped up as the spark the Fever desperately needed.

She delivered an MVP-caliber performance, dropping a career-high 38 points and 6 assists to power the largest comeback win in Fever history. The performance was so electrifying that even the injured Sophie Cunningham couldn’t stay silent, taking to social media from the sidelines to post: “KELSEY FREAKIN MITCHELL.” However, Cunningham wasn’t alone in singing praises for Mitchell.

Caitlin Clark also joined in to praise her teammate, recognizing Kelsey Mitchell’s brilliance. In Clark’s absence, Mitchell has shouldered the offensive load, especially from beyond the arc. Against the Sun, she buried 5 three-pointers to help erase a massive deficit and level the game. After the win, Clark summed it up perfectly: “MVP kels.”

Indeed, Mitchell has put herself in the MVP race for the 2025 season. She is delivering a career-best run, averaging 19.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Her quick offensive bursts make her lethal in the paint, and she ranks fourth in the league in both points per game and three-pointers made per game (2.4). With numbers like these, Mitchell has firmly thrown her name into the 2025 MVP conversation. As WNBA legend Candace Parker put it: “I feel like she’s kind of like that quiet assassin that has continued to work on her craft and better it. But also, now, she’s stacking wins.”

This performance was also a redemption moment for Mitchell. After missing the clutch shot in a tough loss against the Wings, she refused to let history repeat itself. She went back on the court and delivered a show when her team needed it most. While all the limelight is on her, the Fever were dealt another setback, as Sophie Cunningham became the latest addition to their growing list of injured players.

The Indiana Fever suffers a major setback as Sophie Cunningham exits the game

The first half was filled with lows for the Fever, and none bigger than Sophie Cunningham’s injury. The guard logged just ten minutes, going 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-3 from deep before disaster struck two minutes into the second quarter. A player of Cunningham’s caliber had the fight to bounce back, but the unfortunate right knee injury ended her game.

Head coach Stephanie White and Aliyah Boston immediately rushed to her side. Officials called a timeout, recognizing the severity of the situation. Cunningham never returned, and the team later confirmed that she will undergo an MRI on Monday, August 18, for her right knee.

Speaking about this fourth injury blow to an already thin roster, White said, “Especially the way that she fell and how she was holding herself and how much pain she was in, at the time it’s like, c**p.” With the Fever losing players one after another, fans have started to question the team’s postseason chances. Their lone sliver of hope is the possible return of Caitlin Clark. But for that to matter, the Fever must first find a way to weather this storm.