Indiana Fever (5-7) at Phoenix Mercury (3-5)

Date: Friday, June 28th
Time: 10:00 p.m. (ET)
Site: Talking Stick Resort Arena
Live Stream: CBSSportsNetwork.com

The Indiana Fever head out west to face the Phoenix Mercury Friday night in the first of three games on the road. Indiana’s 78-74 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday dropped the team to 5-7. The Mercury haven’t played since Sunday, when they picked up an 82-72 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks. Phoenix is 3-5 on the season.

Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 17 points on Tuesday. Erica Wheeler (13 points), Teaira McCowan (11 points) and Natalie Achonwa (10 points) also finished in double-figures. Phoenix’s starting lineup accounted for all but five of its points against the Sparks. Leilani Mitchell scored a game-high 22 points in the win.

Probable Starters
Fever: F – Betnijah Laney, F – Candice Dupree, C –Teaira McCowan, G – Kelsey Mitchell, G – Erica Wheeler
Mercury: F –Essence Carson, F – DeWanna Bonner, C – Brittney Griner, G –Leilani Mitchell, G – Briann January

NOTES

• The Mercury have won the last four meetings between the teams, including a 94-87 win in Indianapolis on June 9. Indiana leads the all-time series 21-18.
• Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner combined for 51 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in the game for Phoenix. Indiana got 26 points from Kelsey Mitchell as well as 35 from reserves Kennedy Burke (18 points) and Tiffany Mitchell (17 points).
• In that game on June 9, the Mercury led by 25 at halftime and held a 28-point advantage late in the third quarter. Indiana reeled off 33 fourth-quarter points and cut the deficit to seven with 14 seconds left. The 33 points are the second most in any quarter in a WNBA game this season (through games on June 25).
• Kelsey Mitchell scored a team-high 17 points in the loss to Minnesota. Mitchell has recorded at least 13 points in nine of her last 10 games.
• Tiffany Mitchell’s layup in the first quarter gave her 1,000 points for her Fever and WNBA career. Mitchell is the 15th player in franchise history to reach the milestone.
• Natalie Achonwa (4-of-7) shot at least 57 percent from the field for the ninth consecutive game. Achonwa’s .597 field goal percentage leads the WNBA among qualified players.
• Kelsey Mitchell and Teaira McCowan both set new career-highs with three steals against the Lynx. The Fever’s 11 steals were the most since they recorded 13 in a win over Dallas on Aug. 2, 2018.
• Since moving to the starting lineup in place of the injured Natalie Achonwa four games ago, rookie Teaira McCowan has scored 41 points and grabbed 48 rebounds. McCowan led all players with a plus/minus of 11 on Tuesday.
• Erica Wheeler (107) hit two 3-pointers and passed Shavonte Zellous (106) for No. 8 in Fever history. Wheeler will pass Rita Williams (107) for seventh with her next 3-pointer.
• Kelsey Mitchell (98) is two 3-pointers away from 100 for her career. Her 28 3-pointers this season rank second in the WNBA as of June 25.
• With a victory over the Mercury, the Fever would match their win total from last season. It would also be the team’s fourth win in their last six trips to Phoenix.