Dismal first half dooms Indiana Fever in pivotal loss to Washington Mystics

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever played their biggest game of the season to date Sunday, a late-season clash with the Washington Mystics that carried heavy implications for their postseason future and a potential shot at securing a top-four seed and homecourt advantage.

And when presented with this opportunity … the Fever face-planted, dropping a dreadful 93-77 decision at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Caitlin Clark had 25 points on 20 shots. Kelsey Mitchell added 22 points on 20 shots.

Indiana is now 27-15, a full game behind Atlanta for fourth and just one game ahead of Dallas , New York and Washington. It closes out the season with a home-and-home vs. Minnesota , which needs to win at least one of those final two games to secure the No. 1 seed.

Here's what I liked and disliked, and what the loss means.

Indiana Fever face Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

What I liked in the Indiana Fever 's loss to Washington Mystics

Raven Johnson got extended first-half minutes and replaced Lexie Hull in the starting lineup out of halftime. The rookie guard is a spark plug on the floor, particularly on the defensive end. She finished with six points and a plus-1 rating.

The halftime entertainment involved dogs catching frisbees.

What I disliked in the Indiana Fever 's loss to Washington Mystics

The lack of energy and enthusiasm out of the gates was stunning. This felt like a playoff game coming in, but the Fever looked the part of a team whose ticket had already been punched, leaving them with nothing to play for. Sure, there were some glimmers of life in the second half, but it was too little, too late with how deplorable they were defensively.

Basically everything about the first half. The Fever were horrendous from the jump, missing their first five shots from the field while allowing the Mystics to four straight 3s as they raced out to an eight-point lead less than five minutes in and 15 at the end of the first.

First-half scoring beyond Clark and Mitchell. Make no mistake, the Fever's two MVP hopefuls were not great, shooting a combined 7 for 23 (3 for 12 from 3) … but they still combined for 24 of the team's first 30 points. Everyone else was a combined 2 for 14. And it wasn't just that Indiana wasn't hitting shots. It looked lost on offense, with players taking turns either going 1-on-1 or over-passing as the shot clock ticked down. No one beyond Mitchell and Clark seemed willing to take charge. Bizarre to see.

Fever defense: Still not great. The Mystics shot 64.7% in the first half and 56.9% for the game. Yikes. Indiana's offense found some traction in the third quarter, scoring 31 points … but the defense allowed 26.

Aliyah Boston foul trouble. I'll preface this by saying I thought the fourth foul early in the third was kinda bogus (maybe she caught the shooter on the head as her arm came down?). But she picked up two first-quarter fouls, then picked up her third 18 seconds after checking back in for the second quarter. The Fever desperately needed Boston on the floor, because forward Kiki Iriafen ate them alive inside.

The lack of frontcourt depth. Been a problem all season and was especially noticeable Sunday. Mercedes Russell went 0-for-4 from the field, committed three fouls and was a minus-8 (she had a few rough possessions defensively). Monique Billings played 3:52, posted a minus-6 and, most notably was beaten by Kiki Iriafen for back-to-back offensive rebounds on the same play. Myisha Hines-Allen , who provided a necessary spark in Toronto Friday, managed two field goal attempts, turned it over twice and pulled in four rebounds.

The Fever wings. Sophie Cunningham 's most notable contribution in the first half was getting beat on a drive to the basket and fouling the shooter as she passed by. Lexie Hull played 5:55 in the first quarter, missing a field goal and pulling in two rebounds. Hull did not check back in until the 1:52 mark of the third; Cunningham did not return until the 6:32 mark of the fourth quarter − and she promptly doinked a 3-pointer off the backboard and lost track of a court-length pass from Clark, resulting in a turnover.

What the Indiana Fever's loss to Washington Mystics means

Indiana is now 27-15 and no longer controls its own destiny for homecourt advantage.

The Fever are a full game behind Atlanta for fourth and just one game ahead of Dallas, New York and Washington. It closes out the season with a home-and-home vs. Minnesota, which needs to win at least one of those final two games to secure the No. 1 seed.

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