Indiana Fever beat Atlanta Dream for most complete win of 2026 so far: Likes and Dislikes
The Fever got their act together on defense.
INDIANAPOLIS – After a dramatic week, the Fever were finally back in action on Thursday night. They badly needed another game, and a fresh start, after getting punked in Portland last Saturday. Their foes this time around, the Atlanta Dream, are talented and entered at 6-2.
It was a tough matchup for the Fever, who needed a reset on defense in the worst way. That end of the floor was a focus during three days of practice this week – many players and coaches shared their thoughts on the team's poor execution on that end of the court this season. They needed some reps.
Beating Atlanta would mark the Fever's best win of the season to date. Likes and dislike from a 2025 playoff rematch.
Tony East
DISLIKE: Early play finishing
The Dream were face guarding Caitlin Clark all over the floor early in this game. That left much more space for other Fever players to attack and generate offense, but they weren't finishing with their extra space.
The team shot 23% from the field between the opening tip and the game's first stoppage. They missed layups and open jumpers alike. They Fever had to be happy with the shots they were getting, but none of them were falling.
Even with the Dream shooting under 30% at the game's first timeout, the Fever were still behind on the scoreboard. Their defense looked better early, but they needed to make some shots.
LIKE: Finding their range
Well, that first dislike faded away fast. Shots weren't falling for the Fever... until they were.
The Fever scored six points in 6.5 minutes to open the game. Then, Aliyah Boston found her range from deep. Just under two minutes later, Sophie Cunningham did the same. Kelsey Mitchell drilled a triple on the next possession.
After putting up a half-dozen points over a lengthy run to start the night, the Fever scored nine in about two minutes to claim the lead. It was still an ugly first quarter, but that was a needed stretch.
After one period: Fever 15, Dream 15
LIKE: Much better defense early
At least early, the Fever followed through on their words when it came to practicing defense all week. They looked much more connected on that end of the floor.
After 13 minutes of play, the Dream had just 15 points. They were shooting under 30% from the field and had six turnovers. The Fever planted their bigs up higher on ball screens and were more selective with switching. They had less fear of Atlanta's non-shooting bigs.
Altogether, they appeared far more connected early. It was much needed.
LIKE: Continued great defense
I should have just continued the above point, but the Fever's defense never really faded down the stretch of the first half. They protected the point, pressured ball handlers, and forced turnovers at a high level.
It's a good thing, too. Their offense was just okay. But, especially given the quality of the Dream's roster, it was among the best defensive halves the Fever have played all year. They looked connected and forceful, even drawing cheers after emphatic stops.
At halftime, the Dream had just 29 points. They were shooting 34% from the field and had 10 turnovers. The Fever will win a lot of games if they can sustain that level.
Halftime score: Fever 38, Dream 29.
DISLIKE: Poor start to the second half
Atlanta missed their first shot of the second half, but they grabbed the offensive rebound and scored five seconds later.
They then scored on their next three possessions. Including a free throw from an and-one, the Dream scored nine points in 2:11 to begin the third quarter. The Fever, meanwhile, had just two points in that stretch.
After a pretty good first half, the Fever's lead was down to two points that quickly. They called timeout to regroup.
LIKE: Big runs to ignite a crowd
The Fever fell behind 43-42 after a Naz Hillmon three, eliminating their momentum from the first half. But they got their edge back quickly.
Lexie Hull blocked a shot with 5:37 on the clock in the third quarter, which led to a transition chance. Clark hit Boston for a layup eight seconds later. Clark, who threw up during the game and had some moments during which she looked tired, canned a stepback three on the next possession. She found Mitchell for a triple moments later.
All of that happened in less than one minute as the Fever went from down one to up six. The crowd was loud and into the game again, and the Fever rode that energy for the next few minutes.
LIKE: Do your thing, 0
After the aforementioned run, Mitchell skipped right past lukewarm and went straight to hot.
She scored 11 points in 2:14 of play, hitting jumpers and layups alike. And in that stretch, she crossed 5,000 career points. Her heater pushed the Fever's edge over 10 points, and the Dream took a timeout trailing 58-46.
The Fever's terrific one minute and Mitchell's heater made for a great third quarter despite the poor start. After three, the Fever led 62-51.
LIKE: Holding on defense again
After a weak start to the second half defensively, the Fever needed to hold in the final frame. Their days of practice had to be for something.
For the first 4.5 minutes of the fourth quarter, their strong defensive level from much of the first half returned. Atlanta scored just four points in that stretch (so did the Fever), and the Fever kept their double-digit lead heading into crunch time. There was still time left, but this game felt like the Fever's best defensive night of the season.
LIKE: Small ball finding the closing plays
Stephanie White went small down the stretch, putting all three of Raven Johnson, Clark, and Mitchell on the floor at the same time. Cunningham joined them for much of the final minutes, and one of Boston or Myisha Hines-Allen patrolled the five spot.
Those groups look small on paper. But they worked. There was enough pesky defense from the guards, and the offense kept Atlanta away regardless. The dagger effectively came from a Johnson corner three with 2:19 to go.
Altogether, it was the Fever's most complete game of the season. They beat a 6-2 Dream team 83-71 to improve to 5-4.
Thank you for reading. The Fever are back in action on Saturday, so sign up to have a story from that game sent straight to your email inbox.
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