The Fever got a huge boost they were not planning for during their brutal four-game road trip.
Indiana Fever Get Unexpected Help Before Seattle Storm Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever's four-game road trip got off to a positive start with an 88-78 win against Paige Bueckers and the overmatched Dallas Wings on Friday.
Indiana has now won four straight games without Caitlin Clark, bringing their record to 16-12 as the race for the WNBA playoffs heats up.
By the end of the night, they would receive an unforeseen boost courtesy of their next opponent, the Seattle Storm.
Indiana Fever Face Huge Games in WNBA Playoff Race
The Fever are up to fifth in the standings — the top eight make the postseason. They are sandwiched between their next two opponents on their West Coast road trip, Seattle (16-12) and the Phoenix Mercury (16-11).
Their brutal stretch of five games in eight days continues against the Storm at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday on ABC. After the Storm's wild game on Friday, the Fever hold an unexpected advantage heading into the high-stakes clash.
Seattle Storm Log Heavy Minutes in 2OT Loss to Sparks
After the Fever vs. Wings game went final, Stephanie White's team got to watch with their feet up as the Storm lost 108-106 to the Los Angeles Sparks in a double-overtime thriller.
Storm coach Noelle Quinn only used eight players in the marathon affair, leading to heavy minutes for key players.
- Nneka Ogwumike, 34 years old — 46 minutes vs. LA, season average 30.8
- Skylar Diggins, 34 years old — 43 minutes vs. LA, season average 32.0
- Gabby Williams, 28 years old — 42 minutes vs. LA, season average 32.8
- Erica Wheeler, 34 years old — 39 minutes vs. LA, season average 27.5
Seattle has the oldest roster in the WNBA with an average age of 30.8. They will have to battle the emotional and physical toll of the 2OT defeat on short rest before the noon local tip time against the Fever on Sunday.
By contrast, the Fever have an average age of 27.9, and none of White's players played more than 32 minutes (Kelsey Mitchell) against the Wings.
Fever Surviving Until Caitlin Clark Returns From Injury
Clark is not expected to play on Sunday as she remains out with a right groin injury and "no timetable available" for her return.
Clark has missed 15 WNBA games, but the Fever have gone 8-7 in her absence. That does not include winning the WNBA Commissioner's Cup without Clark against the Minnesota Lynx.
"Learning to play without [Caitlin] and make big plays in tough moments."
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 2, 2025
Fever HC Stephanie White believes learning to play without Caitlin Clark will benefit Indiana down the road 👏 pic.twitter.com/TgJRoW1sF6
Clark's return date is unknown, but it would not make sense to bring her back during the condensed road trip. Their next home game is Saturday, Aug. 9 against the struggling Chicago Sky.
When Clark does return, it will take time to re-integrate her into the rotation alongside midseason acquisitions like Chloe Bibby and Aari McDonald. Their "long-term" approach is geared toward having Clark at full strength for the playoffs, which begin Sept. 14.
Before that, the Fever need to stack as many wins as they can to reduce the pressure on Clark's return. Their opportunity to do so against an aging and exhausted Storm team got even bigger on Friday.
Related: “Getting So Toxic”: Napheesa Collier Says Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Trend is Spreading
Related: Fans Feel Bad for Paige Bueckers During Loss to Indiana Fever
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
