Game Preview: Fever Tip off 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Sunday in Atlanta
WNBA Indiana Fever

Game Preview: Fever Tip off 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Sunday in Atlanta

Published on September 12, 2025 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release


Fri, Sep 12, 2025, 10:04 PM

Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream (Game 1)

Sunday, September 14

Gateway Center Arena | 3:00 p.m. ET

Broadcast Information

TV: ABC - Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)

Radio: 93.1 WIBC - John Nolan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)

Probable Starters

Indiana Fever (24-20)

Guard - Odyssey Sims

Guard - Kelsey Mitchell

Forward - Lexie Hull

Forward - Natasha Howard

Center - Aliyah Boston

Atlanta Dream (30-14)

Guard - Te-Hina Paopao

Guard - Allisha Gray

Forward - Rhyne Howard

Forward - Naz Hillmon

Center - Brionna Jones

GAME PREVIEW:

The Indiana Fever tip off their first round playoff series on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. The sixth-seeded Fever will face the third-seeded Dream in a best-of-three series. Indiana will host Game 2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday. If necessary, Game 3 would be on Thursday in Atlanta.

Despite losing five players to season ending injuries, the Fever reached the playoffs for the second straight season. All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston played in all 44 regular season games and both had career years to help lead Indiana to the postseason. Mitchell, who was named to the Associated Press All-WNBA first team on Friday, ranked third in the league in scoring at 20.2 points per game. Boston added 15 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest.

The Dream finished tied with Las Vegas for the second-best record in the WNBA and boast three All-Stars. Guard Allisha Gray averaged a team-high 18.4 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the regular season. 2022 Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard averaged 17.5 points per game while attempting nearly 10 3-pointers a night. Center Brionna Jones contributed 12.8 points and 7.3 boards per night on 52.7 percent shooting.

The Fever and Dream split four games in the regular season, but have not played in over two months. The Dream won 91-90 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 20 in the second regular season game for both teams. Indiana avenged that loss with an 81-76 victory in Atlanta two nights later. The home team won the final two meetings, with the Dream prevailing 77-58 on June 10 in Atlanta and the Fever winning 99-82 on July 11 in Indianapolis.

This is the fourth postseason meeting between Indiana and Atlanta. The Fever and Dream met three straight years in the playoffs from 2011 to 2013. The Dream beat the Fever in the conference finals in both 2011 and 2013, but the Fever knocked off Atlanta in the first round in 2012 en route to the franchise's first WNBA title.

The first round of the playoffs has a new format this year. The WNBA had deployed a 2-1 format in the first round where the better seed hosted the first two games, but moved to a 1-1-1 format where the host alternates each game this year. Last year, the Fever were swept by Connecticut in a series where the Sun hosted both playoff games, but this year Gainbridge Fieldhouse is guaranteed to host a playoff game for the first time since 2016.

Check out the Indiana Fever Statistics

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