Indiana Fever Aim to Defeat Washington Mystics in Final Regular Season Game

The Indiana Fever are set to play their final game of the 2024 regular season against the Washington Mystics on Thursday night at Capital One Arena. Having secured a spot in the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Fever currently hold a record of 20 wins and 19 losses, while the Mystics stand at 13-26.

Indiana leads the regular season series against Washington with two wins to one loss. The last encounter on July 10 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse ended in a narrow 89-84 victory for the Mystics. The upcoming game marks Indiana’s first away game since their six-game homestand earlier in September, during which they secured their playoff spot as the No. 6 seed following a victory over the Dallas Wings.

The Mystics, meanwhile, find themselves in a competitive race for the No. 8 playoff seed, battling against the Chicago Sky and the Atlanta Dream. Washington recently faced a setback with a loss to the top-seeded New York Liberty, trailing behind the Atlanta Dream, who defeated the Chicago Sky, thereby securing an additional win leading into Thursday’s games.

If Washington aims to secure the final playoff position, they must triumph over Indiana and hope for simultaneous results including all three teams finishing with the same record, potentially capitalizing on their head-to-head tiebreakers.

In past matchups, Indiana has consistently outperformed Washington in areas such as paint points and fast break points. Notably, Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, along with forward NaLyssa Smith, have all scored double figures in each game against the Mystics. During their first meeting, Clark set a franchise record for the Fever with seven three-point field goals and scoring 30 points, a remarkable achievement for a rookie.

For the Mystics, center Stefanie Dolson and guard Ariel Atkins have been pivotal, each scoring double digits in their encounters with Indiana. Washington has shown a depth advantage, steadily outscoring Indiana in bench points across their matchups. Despite a challenging start to the season, Washington ranks highly in assists and three-point shooting, presenting a formidable challenge to the Fever.

Indiana comes into this game boasting the league’s third-highest points per game average, heavily supported by the impressive scoring of Mitchell and Clark. The Fever also rank fourth in rebounds per game, a testament to their robust performance under the hoops, led by center Aliyah Boston.