Indiana Fever (0-0) at Seattle Storm (0-1)

Date: Sunday, May 14, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Site: KeyArena (Seattle, WA)
TV: none
Live Stream: WNBA League Pass

Probable Starters
Fever: F- Marissa Coleman, F- Candice Dupree, C- Erlana Larkins, G- Tiffany Mitchell, G- Erica Wheeler
Storm: F- Alysha Clark, F- Ramu Tokashiki, C- Crystal Langhorne, G- Jewell Loyd, G- Noelle Quinn

Practice Report

The Indiana Fever begin their 2017 season with a trip to Seattle to take on the Storm. Indiana is coming off of their WNBA-record 12th straight postseason appearance, and Seattle broke a two-year playoff drought by qualifying for the postseason last year. The Fever finished the preseason 0-2, while the Storm went 1-1 in the preseason.

The Fever opens their season on the West Coast for the first time in history. It also is just the second time Indiana has opened a WNBA season with consecutive games on the road, with the 2014 season being the first. Seattle will be playing the second of back-to-back games, and it will be its home opener, after starting the season in Los Angeles on Saturday against the Sparks.

Storylines & Promotion
• The Fever are 11-6 all-time in season openers, with a 3-3 record in season openers on the road. They are 9-8 all-time in their first road game of the season.

• The Fever lost to the Dallas Wings 80-75 in their final preseason game. Guard Tiffany Mitchell led all scorers with 15 points. Forward Candice Dupree also scored in double figures, adding 11 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the field.

• Fever guard Shenise Johnson starts the season with an active streak of 40 straight made free throws, two shy of the franchise-record of 42, set last season by Mitchell.

• Seattle assistant coach Gary Kloppenburg served two stints as an assistant coach with the Fever, from 2008 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2016. Player development coach and former Fever guard Tully Bevilaqua won a WNBA title in 2004 with the Storm.

• Dupree begins the year 15th in WNBA history in scoring at 5,107 points. She needs 13 points to pass Swin Cash (5,119) in 14th place. Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus (5,131) is 24 points ahead of Dupree in 13th, and Augustus’s teammate, guard Lindsay Whalen (5,164), is 57 points ahead of Dupree in 12th. On the career rebounding list, Dupree sits in 11th with 2,375. With 70 rebounds, she passes former Fever player Yolanda Griffith for 10th and 74 rebounds puts her past Lauren Jackson in 9th.

• Guard/forward Marissa Coleman is 126 points shy of 2,000 for her career. She is also 74 points away from 1,000 points in a Fever uniform.

• Center Erlana Larkins is in 9th in team history with 1,078 points, and with 35 points passes Tully Bevilaqua in 8th. She also sits in 3rd in career rebounds, and passes Ebony Hoffman for second with 68 more.

• The Fever owns the series advantage over the Storm with an 18-15 all-time record, including a 10-3 record over the past 13 games. The Fever are just 5-11 in KeyArena, though the Fever have won the past three games in Seattle and four of the past five. The Storm’s last home win against the Fever was on 8/17/13.

• For Indiana, Briann January did not play during preseason games while nursing a sore shoulder. Seattle guard Sue Bird and forward Breanna Stewart also missed both preseason games.