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WNBA Announces Playoff Development That Impacts Indiana Fever
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- WNBA Announces Playoff Development That Impacts Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever
took a big step toward clinching a playoff berth on Friday after they secured a hard-fought road win at Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Sparks
, 76-75.
The Fever
inched even closer to the postseason on Saturday without even playing a game. This is after the Washington Mystics
suffered a 99-62 blowout loss to the Golden State Valkyries
, thereby officially eliminating Washington from playoff contention.
Mystics Out, Fever Rise
Fever reporter Tony East explained how this development significantly impacts Indiana's playoff hopes.
"This win gives the Mystics 24 losses, meaning they A) can't catch the Fever in the standings and B) won't make the playoffs. The Fever's range for their final spot in the standings is now 2-9," East posted on X
.
The Mystics fell to 16-24 on the season following Saturday's lopsided loss. With four games remaining in their schedule, including one against the Fever, Washington can no longer catch Indiana's record, which currently stands at 21-18.
Moreover, the Mystics are now the fourth team that has been eliminated from the playoffs, joining the Connecticut Sun
, Chicago Sky
and Dallas Wings
.
This only means that there are now just nine teams competing for eight playoff spots in the league. And, since the Minnesota Lynx
, Las Vegas Aces
and Atlanta Dream
have all booked their respective places in the postseason, that leaves six teams contending for the five remaining playoff seeds.
After Friday's win, the Fever remain sixth in the WNBA. They increased their lead over the ninth-placed Sparks to three games. At the moment, L.A. is the only team outside the Top 8 that still has a shot of securing a playoff berth.
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Indiana Fever guards Sophie Cunningham and guard Caitlin Clark react from the bench during a WNBA game against the Chicago Sky.Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Fever Can Finish Second, Could Fall Out at Ninth
As East pointed out in his post, Saturday's development involving the Mystics means that the lowest the Fever can finish this season is ninth. Indiana, however, will want to avoid that at all costs because not qualifying for the playoffs in Caitlin Clark
's sophomore season — even though she's been limited to just 13 games this year due to multiple injuries — could still be considered disastrous for the Fever.
At the same time, however, Indiana can still finish as high as second place if it wins its remaining five games. The 31-8 Lynx have secured the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, but at this point, everything else is up for grabs.
Realistically speaking, a second-place finish for the Fever seems far-fetched. However, they could aim for a top-four finish to secure home-court advantage in the postseason.
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Related: WNBA Fans Noticing What Aliyah Boston Did to Caitlin Clark After Fever-Sparks
Related: "I Can't Take It": Sophie Cunningham Makes Honest Admission About Indiana Fever Game
Related: Lexie Hull, Cameron Brink Address Unexpected Exchange During Fever-Sparks
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
