MVP push, playoff drama, and ticket prices climbing—Indiana picked a pretty good night to face Connecticut. Before today’s news, some context: Indiana has gone from looking dangerous to proving its record-setting offense can handle playoff pressure. Clark and Mitchell strengthened that case by becoming the first WNBA duo with three 30-point games together. Now we’ll see whether that scoring engine holds up as seeding tightens. This is Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. Tonight puts both MVP cases under the microscope and could reshape a first-round matchup. We’ll also see whether this rotation can handle an ugly game. Here's Deadspin:
Which Indiana Fever player, Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Mitchell, will challenge Las Vegas superstar A'ja Wilson for Most Valuable Player honors when the regular season ends late next month? Both look to take steps in that direction on Friday night when Indiana aims to strengthen its playoff positioning against the Connecticut Sun in Indianapolis.
The Clark-Mitchell case we just talked about gets a Sun test with MVP stakes attached. Put Clark’s 22.1 points and 8.3 assists next to Kelsey’s 24.8 a night, then see what they do against Connecticut. And Clark is top three league-wide in both scoring and assists. That’s a serious MVP résumé next to A’ja Wilson, but Indiana needs to look organized against the Sun—not just explosive. Connecticut is 10-28 and just lost by 25 to Golden State, so yes, Indiana should win. But a 96.6-point offense leading the league in scoring has no excuse for sloppy turnovers and a weird fourth quarter tonight. Indiana is 25-14, and the numbers are ridiculous: first in field-goal percentage at 48.9, first from three at 39.5. The MVP case gets stronger if those two can get the offense traveling possession by possession. Indiana Fever On SI, with Grant Young:
On Wednesday, news broke that the Atlanta Dream signed veteran wing DeWanna Bonner, just a few days after she agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Mercury. Bonner intended to sign with a team where she'd have a chance at winning another championship in what seems likely to be her last season. As a result, she might be facing the Indiana Fever this postseason.
Atlanta's 25-13. Indiana's 25-14. If that holds, Indiana draws DeWanna Bonner in round one after she joined the Dream to chase a ring. That is a nasty little bracket problem. And it changes the seeding race. Indiana is chasing the fourth seed while Atlanta has just added a veteran wing with championship experience—awful timing for a young Fever team. People will sprint straight to the Bonner history and the viral finger-point stuff. Fine, have your memories. But on the floor, Bonner can make a playoff possession ugly, and Aliyah Boston is going to see plenty of that physicality if they meet. Clark and Angel Reese would drive the headlines, but Bonner is the wrinkle that makes Atlanta harder to figure out. Tonight against Connecticut matters even more with that No. 4 seed one game away. Here's Rodney Knuppel at The Sporting News:
Lexie Hull’s place in the Indiana Fever starting lineup was not dependent on whether her shots were falling. That was the message from coach Stephanie White after Hull broke out of a prolonged offensive slump during Indiana’s 113-90 victory over the Chicago Sky. Hull scored 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting, made two 3-pointers and added two rebounds in 26 minutes.
Lexie Hull is averaging 5.3 points, yet she’s started 36 straight games. Stephanie White put it plainly: the shot can disappear for a night, but Hull’s perimeter defense can’t. Four scoreless games and people want to bench her because the box score looks ugly. Then she goes 6-for-8 against Chicago, and suddenly everybody remembers she can play. Her 14 points were welcome, but White is getting at something bigger. At 6-foot-1, Hull takes the hard wing assignment so Clark and Mitchell aren’t chasing every possession. That’s why she starts. And 26 minutes tells you White trusts that defense more than a hot hand. Against Connecticut tonight, it gets a much tougher test than it did in that feel-good bounce-back against Chicago. Indianapolis Star, with Joshua Heron:
The Indiana Fever are the most expensive team to watch in Indianapolis. Not the Indiana Pacers or the Indianapolis Colts. The WNBA team dominates a market with a NBA and NFL team. ”It’s easier to score $10 tickets in the nosebleeds for a Pacers game,” OnlyIndyTickets owner Tim Flint said. “You can’t do that at a Fever game.”
Three remaining Fever home games averaging $387.61 on resale? I love that this team is a draw, but that is somebody's rent trying to watch a basketball game. Look at the Indianapolis Star’s numbers: Pacers home games average $259.91, while the Fever’s get-in is also higher, $24.40 to $22.38. Demand has cooled from earlier this month, but the premium is still there. And Indiana leads the league in average away ticket prices, too. Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell bring the star power, and the Fever bring the wins— the whole league’s resale market has priced that in. Team officials say accessibility still factors into pricing, and a $24.40 get-in isn’t impossible. But that $387 average tells you the best seats are becoming a luxury product in a city that usually doesn’t price sports this way. If you’re enjoying the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Reviews help other Fever fans find the show, and we’re grateful for your support.
Tonight: Indiana hosts the Connecticut Sun, with playoff positioning and the Clark-Mitchell MVP cases in focus.
Links to every story are in the show notes, so check out the pieces that caught your attention. Thanks for listening, and we’ll be back next time. That’s it for today’s Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. This is a Lantern Podcast.