Indiana Fever (9-19) at Minnesota Lynx (21-4)
Date: Friday, August 18, 2017
Time: 8:00 p.m. (EDT)
Site: Xcel Energy Center (Saint Paul, MN)
TV: none
Live Stream: WNBA League Pass
Probable Starters
Fever: F- Jazmon Gwathmey, F- Candice Dupree, C- Natalie Achonwa, G- Erica Wheeler, G- Marissa Coleman
Lynx: F- Maya Moore, F- Rebekkah Brunson, C- Sylvia Fowles, G- Seimone Augustus, G- Renee Montgomery
The Indiana Fever travel to Minnesota for the first time this season to take on the Lynx, Friday at Xcel Energy Center. In the teams’ only meeting this season, an Erlana Larkins tip-in with 8.2 seconds left helped the Fever secure an 84-82 upset victory. It was the team’s first regular season victory against the Lynx since June 26, 2011.
Candice Dupree has been a dependable source of offense for the Fever in her first year in blue and gold. She has six straight games of double figure scoring, and has failed to reach double figures just four times in the Fever’s 28 games. Her 15 points and 5.5 rebounds are team bests. She’s been particularly productive over the past four games, posting averages of 22.3 points and seven rebounds per contest.
Injury Update
Guard Tiffany Mitchell will miss the remainder of the 2017 season after sustaining torn cartilage and a bone bruise in her right knee.
Storylines & Promotion
• The Fever fell 100-80 to the Washington Mystics on Saturday night. Candice Dupree scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the team in both categories. Jeanette Pohlen-Mavunga scored a season-high 12 points, shooting 3-of-4 on 3-pointers in her first double-digit scoring output since 2013.
• Rookie Erica McCall has shown plenty of promise in her debut season. She scored a career-high 12 points and also snagged five boards against the Mystics. Her two assists were also a new career-high.
• Jazmon Gwathmey has played her way into a solid role in her first season with the Fever, and she scored 10 points in her first start of the year against Washington.
• Minnesota lost for the third time in four games, dropping a low-scoring 62-61 decision at Seattle on Wednesday. Crystal Langhorne’s go-ahead basket with 11.1 seconds to play represented the 17th lead change and final margin. Jewell Loyd finished with a game-high 16 points for the Storm, while MVP candidate Sylvia Fowles had 13 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for the Lynx.
• The Fever remain the best free throw shooting team in the WNBA, with a mark of 85.2 percent. The team is on pace to set a new franchise record for the second straight year, besting the team’s 84.5 percent performance from last season. Tiffany Mitchell is fourth in the WNBA with a 92.2 percent conversion rate and another streak of 24-in-a-row. Unfortunately, the Fever announced Thursday she would miss the rest of the season with torn cartilage and a bone bruise in her right knee.
• Despite dropping 3 of 4, Minnesota still possesses the best record in the WNBA (21-5). They are led by Fowles, who is second in the league in rebounding with 10.2 rebounds per game, and also ranks second in scoring with 20.5 points per contest.
• When Briann January dishes at least six assists this season, the Fever are 6-3. January’s four assists per game rank 12th in the WNBA. Erica Wheeler is also averaging four assists per game; she added eight against the Mystics, her sixth game this year of at least seven.
• Both Briann January and Tiffany Mitchell missed the Fever’s game at Washington with right knee injuries. While Mitchell is out for the season, January remains listed as day-to-day. Lindsay Whalen of Minnesota remains sidelined for Minnesota with a hand fracture.
• Coach Pokey Chatman coached Fowles and Augustus during their careers at LSU. Minnesota forward Natasha Howard began her career with Indiana, playing with the Fever as a rookie prior to a 2016 preseason trade.
• The Fever are 13-21 all-time against the Lynx. This will mark the first contest for the Fever in the Xcel Energy Center, which becomes the 31st venue at which the Fever has ever played.