The field is set. Now Indiana has to prove its backcourt can travel through a playoff series. Quick catch-up before we dig in: Indiana’s season-long consistency question is now all about playoff positioning. The Fever had already clinched and were fifth heading into the World Cup run-up after a 3-2 road trip. Just 1 1/2 games separate second-place Golden State from Indiana, and three of the final five are at home, including a home-and-home with Minnesota. This is Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. The bracket’s set, Kelsey Mitchell is scorching, and contender talk hinges on one very big availability question. Dallas beating Portland 96-78 Tuesday ended the guessing game. Indiana’s locked into fifth, and we know exactly how high the Fever can still climb. Bleacher Report, with Scott Polacek:
Dallas clinched a spot in the 2026 postseason Tuesday with a 96-78 win over the Portland Fire. The Wings clinched the final playoff spot, meaning the Fire have been eliminated from postseason contention.
One berth was open when we left it; now the field’s set. Dallas is in, Indiana’s fifth. The Fever are chasing Atlanta at 25-13 while keeping New York and Washington behind them. Fourth is what Indiana needs to care about. Atlanta is 25-13; the Fever are 25-14. Pass the Dream, and you get home court in round one. Stay fifth, and you open on somebody else’s floor. Dallas goes from 10-34 last year to a playoff berth, then gets Minnesota if it stays eighth. Congratulations on the turnaround. Your reward may be the 31-8 Lynx. The Caitlin Clark-Paige Bueckers clip can be fun without making it bigger than it is. They got chippy because they’re competitors. Indiana’s immediate job is Atlanta, not a social-media rivalry. Here's Rodney Knuppel at The Sporting News:
That performance extended Mitchell’s WNBA record to 23 consecutive games with at least 20 points. It also moved her to the top of another significant league leaderboard. The Fever announced Monday that Mitchell leads the WNBA in 3-point percentage at 45.5 percent.
Forty-five-point-five percent from three on 117 makes? Every time Kelsey Mitchell crosses half court, defenses have a genuine emergency. And the volume matters. Mitchell is at 24.8 points, three made threes a night, and 51 percent overall—while holding a WNBA-record 23-game streak of 20 or more. When Clark draws two bodies, Mitchell gets daylight. When Mitchell gets chased off the line, Clark has room to create. Please stop talking about this offense like it has one star and four witnesses. With the playoff field settled, here’s the series question: Can Indiana keep that Clark-Mitchell spacing intact in a physical best-of-three, and can the frontcourt support it? Mitchell has shown the backcourt is ready. From Jacob Rude at SB Nation:
On Sunday, Indiana used a strong second half to overwhelm the Sky, 113-90, in the final contest of their five-game road trip. Caitlin Clark tallied 37 points and 10 assists, the fifth 30-point, 10-assist game of her career. The rest of the players in WNBA history have four.
SB Nation has a fair case calling Indiana a title contender—Clark had 37 and 10 in Chicago, Mitchell scored 23 of her 30 after halftime, and that backcourt can break a defense in two different ways. We just mentioned Mitchell’s 45.5% from three. You can’t sell out on Caitlin when Kelsey’s shooting that kind of number. Take one extra step toward Clark, and Mitchell has daylight. A contender needs more than a two-guard show. Aliyah Boston’s absence in Chicago is the stress test: the Fever need their frontcourt anchor available when the pace drops and every possession gets physical. Exactly. With the bracket set, playoff defenses aren’t going to politely let the Clark-Mitchell show run in transition for forty minutes. Boston has to be there, and the rotation has to give those two some actual help. If you’re enjoying the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast, please subscribe or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Reviews help other people find the show, and we’re grateful for your support.
Links to every story from today’s briefing are in the show notes, so take a look at the ones you want to explore further. Thanks for spending part of your Wednesday with us. That’s Indiana Fever Daily Podcast for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.