Indiana Fever (9-24) vs San Antonio Stars (7-25)

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
TV: FOX Sports Indiana, NBA TV
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go app

Probable Starters
Fever: F- Jazmon Gwathmey, F- Candice Dupree, C- Natalie Achonwa, G- Erica Wheeler, G- Marissa Coleman
Stars: F- Alex Montgomery, F- Kayla Alexander, C- Isabella Harrison, G- Kayla McBride, G- Kelsey Plum

The Indiana Fever and San Antonio Stars close the regular season in a Saturday matchup that means everything for 2018.

Both teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2017, the Fever and Stars lead the race for ping pong balls in the 2018 Draft Lottery (to be conducted during the upcoming playoffs), and coaching staffs will get a final look at rookies, free agents and vets hoping to strengthen their positions for 2018 rosters.

Storylines & Promotion

• Indiana dropped a hard-fought 80-69 decision to Minnesota on Wednesday, watching the league-leading Lynx coast in the final minutes after the lead changed hands six times. After absorbing a blowout loss to Minnesota two weeks earlier, Indiana led 49-47 midway through the third period, and Candice Dupree’s free throw in the opening minute of the fourth quarter brought the Fever within 60-59 — but it was not enough to stave off the Lynx’ 57 percent shooting down the stretch. Erica Wheeler paced Indiana with 17 points and Dupree added 15.

• San Antonio dropped an 89-70 home decision to the same Lynx team last weekend, and play at New York on Friday night.

• Roster construction between the Fever and Stars teams is significantly different when looking ahead to 2018. The Stars have 9 of 12 players — and four starters — who are still within their first four pro seasons, and just two reserves at least 30 years old. Indiana has seven players still in their first four seasons, but four 30-somethings which include regular starters Candice Dupree, Briann January and Marissa Coleman.

• A six-time All-Star, Dupree has collected double-digit scoring in 28 of her 32 games in a Fever uniform. She currently ranks in the WNBA’s top 25 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and minutes per game. She has re-defined the word STEADY for the 2017 Fever, averaging 14.9 points per game and 17.7 in the club’s last 10 games. She has routinely scored between 14 and 19 points (19 of 32 games), with highs this season of 31, 26 and 23.

• Third-year guard Erica Wheeler leads the Fever with 4.0 assists per game, averaging 4.6 over the past 10 games. Her 4.0 average and 132 total assists currently rank fourth among Indiana’s single-season leaders. She is 11 assists shy of tying Tamika Catchings’ franchise mark of 143 (2005). Her season- and career-high is nine, at Dallas on July 25.

• Wheeler also has reached double-figure scoring in four straight games, and averages 15.6 points over her last seven games. Two of her best scoring games of the season have come since early August, netting 33 points at New York and 23 last week at Atlanta.

• Indiana will miss the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons. The last time Indiana missed the playoffs (2004), George W. Bush was elected to his second term as President and Facebook had just been created; American Idol was the top-rated TV show in the U.S., and Shrek was the country’s top-grossing movie. San Antonio, meanwhile, has been to the playoffs just twice in the past seven years, and has not enjoyed consecutive playoff appearances since 2009 and 2010.

• The Stars have ridden the hot hands of post players Isabella Harrison, Kayla Alexander and Dearica Hamby against the Fever this year, already beating Indiana twice. San Antonio has enjoyed a significant rebounding edge in both games.

• Following a pair of Stars wins this season, Indiana maintains an 18-17 series advantage over San Antonio. The Stars, though, have had success in Indianapolis, boasting nine wins in 17 games. San Antonio has won three of the past four games in the series, and two-in-a-row at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

• Indiana remains the WNBA’s top free-throw shooting team, converting 84.6 percent of their attempts this season, barely exceeding the best season in club history reflected by an 84.5 percent clip last season. The previous best by a Fever team was 82.2 percent in 2009.