Saturday, Atlanta was down a game in the Finals. Thursday morning, they're up two to one, and last night wasn't even close. Twenty-six points. In a Finals game. Welcome to the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. I'm Cera, this is Joey, and it's Thursday, October 22nd. On the board today: Game 3 and what it says about the teams Indiana is chasing, a fresh look at how little cap room the Fever really have, a proud little sister moment from Kelsey Mitchell, and Caitlin Clark cheering on the other team in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tap follow so the next episode finds you.
The Associated Press, from Atlanta:
Angel Reese had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday night and take a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals.
That's a double-double in all three Finals games for her. After the thirty and sixteen on Monday, I'm done pretending she's not the story of this series. She's a big piece of it, but look at the support. Rhyne Howard had 16, Naz Hillmon had 15, and CBS Sports' Lindsay Gibbs counts five Dream players in double figures. The swing was the third quarter again. Tied at 49, Atlanta ripped off eight straight and then closed the quarter scoring 12 of the last 14 points. The AP says Atlanta's outscored Golden State 63 to 35 in third quarters across the whole series. That's not luck, that's halftime adjustments. And it's the first game at State Farm Arena, the one the league moved up a day so the Dream could trade a 3,500-seat building for one that holds more than 17,000. Sold out, and Game 4 on Saturday is sold out too. Ludacris was in the building. Meanwhile Golden State missed its first eight shots of the night. Gabby Williams had 15 and Tiffany Hayes 14, and it never felt like enough. Game 4 is Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern on NBC, and Game 5 is Monday with Golden State listed as the home team. Still a first-time champion either way. And for Fever fans watching the ratings thread, the AP has Game 1 on NBC at 2.1 million viewers, the most ever for a Finals opener, without Indiana in it. Which is good for everybody. Including the people who keep saying this league only exists because of one team.
Stephanie Kaloi, in a column posted Wednesday night on what Indiana faces in 2027:
That leaves the team with around $3.5 million — and, presumably, Clark will eat up some of that. The Fever could try trading Hull or Billings (or both), but fans might not like it.
Three and a half million sounds like a lot until you remember Kelsey Mitchell is a free agent and Caitlin is due a raise. Here's how Kaloi gets there. She has the cap able to rise to as much as 7.91 million. Boston is on her supermax through 2029 at nearly 1.6 million. Clark's salary hits at least 596,597 dollars, and Kaloi says an EPIC extension could get her up to 1.3 million. Hull and Billings are at 800,000 each, plus Timpson, Dantas and Raven Johnson at around three hundred thousand apiece. And IndyStar had it around 3.25 million when we covered Amber Cox's priorities last week. So this is the same ballpark, just a slightly different count. Right, different methods, same message. Kaloi's trade logic is interesting. She thinks Billings is the easier piece to move because she's played all over the league and has value to other teams. Hull is tougher, a former No. 6 pick who's only ever played for Indiana, on a contract Kaloi calls pretty high. Trading Lexie Hull in Indianapolis. Good luck with that press conference. She acknowledges that. Her bigger point is about what Indiana needs: a veteran who can dominate both ends and set the culture, and separately she points to Golden State as a team that's been clear about its identity. Then the catch. Veterans like that cost a lot, which takes you right back to the cap. This is analysis, to be clear. No trade talk has been reported. She also says Caitlin has areas she needs to grow in. Which, fine. Every great player does. Just say it about the rest of the roster too.
Paolo Songco, writing for Athlon Sports, on a different kind of Mitchell family highlight:
The older Mitchell recently exploded for 50 points on 70% shooting. He also finished with 19 rebounds and four assists to lead his team to a 106-87 win.
Fifty and nineteen! Cameron Mitchell, playing pro ball in Mexico for Colorados de San Luis Rio Colorado. The bucket-getting clearly runs in the family. Kelsey put his stat line on her Instagram stories with the caption, proud little sister moment, keep going big brotha. Songco says his team's page lists a 13 and 4 record. It's nice to see her just having fun online for once. Every other Kelsey headline this month has been about whether she stays. And that question isn't going anywhere. Songco recaps her season: 24.7 points a game, 50.9 percent from the field and 45 percent from three, both career highs, third in MVP voting, and a franchise-best 28 wins. The Fever have said keeping her is a top priority. She's still deciding. So, Kelsey, if you're listening, your brother is welcome to visit Indianapolis any time. Bring him to a game. Fall in love with the place all over again.
Paolo Songco again, this time on Caitlin Clark and the Pacers:
The Indiana stars have been supporting each other by watching their games and voicing support on social media. Clark will likely be in attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a few games this season, joining fans in cheering for their NBA team.
Tyrese Haliburton is back! He missed the whole 2025-26 season with a torn Achilles, and the Pacers' hype video just says, zero's back. And Clark's comment on it was simple. Ready, let's go Ty, with a row of hearts. Songco says it's past 600 likes. The Pacers opened Wednesday at New Orleans, and Haliburton already played in the preseason with no sign of trouble. I love this. The two faces of Indiana basketball hyping each other up. Same building, same city, same fans. It's a social media comment, so let's not overread it. The more useful line for us is at the end of Songco's piece. He repeats that Clark has vowed to get more involved in recruiting, welcoming visiting free agents, and to stay in constant contact with Amber Cox on roster construction. So she'll be courtside for the Pacers and in the front office's group chat for the Fever. Busy winter. Busy, and with a cap sheet like the one we just walked through, every recruiting pitch has to count.
One ask before we go. Tell us what you want more of this winter, whether that's cap deep dives, draft prospects, or more Finals breakdowns. Email us at indianafeverdailyfancast at lantern podcasts dot com, and your idea might shape a future episode.
Joey here, already counting down to Saturday's Game 4. And I'm Cera. This has been the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast, a Lantern Podcast. We're back tomorrow, Friday, with more from the offseason. Take care of yourselves.