Indiana Fever (5-26) vs Washington Mystics (20-11)

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
TV: NBA TV
Live Stream: WNBA League Pass

Probable Starters
Fever: F – Victoria Vivians, F – Candice Dupree, C – Natalie Achonwa, G – Cappie Pondexter, G – Erica Wheeler
Mystics: F – Ariel Atkins, F – Elena Delle Donne, C – LaToya Sanders, G – Natasha Cloud, G – Kristi Toliver

The Indiana Fever welcome the Washington Mystics to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. While Indiana limps back to Indianapolis with a three-game losing skid to follow back-to-back wins a week ago, the third-place Mystics have won six straight and are playing for playoff seeding.

Despite a season-high 10 3-pointers last Saturday, Indiana lost 92-74 at Las Vegas, surrendering a 48-33 rebounding edge that kept the ball in the Aces’ favor. Las Vegas shot 46 percent compared to just 36 percent for the Fever, with Erica Wheeler pacing Indiana scorers with 13 points. The Mystics continued a recent hot streak by downing Dallas, 93-90. Rookie Ariel Atkins led the way with 26 points, with veteran All-Star Elena Delle Donne close behind with 23.

Injury Report
Guard Shenise Johnson (left knee ACL rehabilitation) remains out and will not play.

Storylines & Promotion
• Indiana hosts Washington to open the final week of the season. The Fever have not seen the Mystics, however, since a pair of games in the season’s opening week.

• Indiana opens its final week of play, hosting Washington on Wednesday before playing Chicago in home (Saturday) and road (Sunday) games this weekend.

• The Fever are 2-3 since the All-Star Break. Indiana’s recent two-game win streak was its first since June 15 and 18, 2017, at home against Atlanta and at Chicago.

• Candice Dupree is three points shy of becoming the sixth player in WNBA history with 6,000 career points. She is 11 from passing Lauren Jackson (6,007) as the eighth-leading scorer in league annals.

• Ten Indiana 3-pointers were not enough to get past Las Vegas’ 46 percent shooting and a 48-33 rebounding edge, as Indiana lost 92-74 in the Nevada desert last Saturday. Erica Wheeler paced the Fever with 13 points and Kelsey and Tiffany Mitchell both added 11. Tiffany Mitchell was perfect on three attempts beyond the arc, Wheeler also made three 3-pointers and rookies Kelsey Mitchell and Victoria Vivians each made two.

• Overshadowed by last Friday’s loss at Phoenix was a new WNBA record established by Indiana’s rookie tandem of Kelsey Mitchell and Victoria Vivians who now boast 127 3-pointers this season — the most by any rookie duo in league history. Mitchell’s 66 3-pointers now are tied for third in league history by a rookie and Vivians’ 61 are sixth.

• The Fever is the first WNBA team ever to have a pair of rookies both eclipse 60 3-point field goals.

• With Indiana’s triumph over Dallas, 8/2, the Fever have beaten the current No. 2 (Atlanta), No. 5 (Los Angeles), No. 7 (Minnesota) and No. 8 (Dallas) teams in the WNBA standings, with two of them on the road.

• All five Fever victories have come while holding opponents below 80 points. In 18 games since June 24, Indiana is 4-0 when opponents fail to reach 87 points, and 0-14 in all remaining games. In 18 games during that stretch, opponents topped 90 points nine times.

• The Mystics have defeated Indiana in six straight meetings and 9 of 10 overall including a four-game sweep in 2017. Indiana hopes to avoid a sweep in consecutive seasons.

• The Fever boasts a 20-12 series record in games played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, though the Mystics have won three-straight in Indianapolis and haven’t lost on the road in the series since July 2, 2015.