The No. 6 Indiana Fever are still in control of their playoff destiny, taking down the No. 8 Seattle Storm 95-75 behind star center Aliyah Boston's dominant 27-point performance on Tuesday night.
Also helping to offset Indiana's slate of high-profile injuries were guards Kelsey Mitchell and midseason hardship signee Odyssey Sims, who combined for 43 points in Tuesday's win.
"Every game at this point in the season is huge, and this one was a big one for us," said Fever head coach Stephanie White afterwards. "We knew that we had to come out and show some urgency."
"Going into this game, we talked about how this is a big game for us and an important game for us considering the standings," echoed Boston. "This is a great win for us before we head on the road."
After losing multiple guards to season-ending injuries this month, Indiana entered Tuesday's matchup having lost six of their last eight games as they await the return of sidelined superstar Caitlin Clark.
"[Boston] has been the one that's been most affected by all of our injuries, all of the point guards who can get her the ball," White continued. "She set the tone for us on both ends."
As for Seattle, Tuesday's loss dropped the Storm to eighth in the WNBA standings, sitting just above the postseason cutoff line with the No. 9 LA Sparks hot on their heels.
"There's no excuse for what happened today other than not matching the energy of the other team," said Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike, who led her squad's scoring with 17 points on Tuesday.
How to watch the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm this week
No. 6 Indiana hits the road this weekend, taking on No. 9 LA at 10 PM ET on Friday on ION before facing the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries at 8:30 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.
An uphill battle is on deck for No. 8 Seattle as the Storm gear up for an 8 PM ET clash against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, airing live on WNBA League Pass.
The No. 6 Indiana Fever are laughing in the face of adversity, pulling off the biggest comeback win in team history on Sunday despite guard Sophie Cunningham exiting with a right knee injury following a second-quarter collision.
As Cunningham joined fellow guards Caitlin Clark (right groin), Aari McDonald (broken foot), and Sydney Colson (ACL tear) on the injured list, the Fever overcame a 21-point deficit to down the No. 13 Connecticut Sun 99-93 in overtime behind guard Kelsey Mitchell's 38-point performance.
"We came in at halftime, we talked about chipping away, being resilient," said Indiana forward Aliyah Boston, who notched 14 points and 13 rebounds for her 15th double-double of the year in Sunday's win, setting a new single-season Fever record. "That's kind of been our story this entire season."
Amid the myriad injuries causing the beleaguered Fever to lose steam in the WNBA standings, Cunningham's knock — which will reportedly undergo an MRI assessment on Monday — is just the latest blow in an expected banner year for the 25-year-old franchise.
Seeing increased playing time since Clark's mid-July injury, Cunningham is averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 46.9% from the field this season.
Looking to bolster their backcourt with Clark's return timeline still in question, Indiana signed veteran guard Odyssey Sims and rookie Kyra Lambert to hardship contracts last week.
"This group is tight.... They stay together," Fever coach Stephanie White told reporters following Sunday's game. "I think, for us, reiterating we've got to be where our feet are. We can't look too far behind us. We can't look too far in front of us. We've got to make sure that we're focused on one day at a time."
How to watch the Indiana Fever in this week's WNBA slate
Indiana will be thankful for a few days off this week, taking time to recover before hosting the seemingly unstoppable No. 1 Minnesota Lynx on Friday.
The Fever's clash with the league leaders will tip off at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ION.
The injury woes continued for the No. 5 Indiana Fever last week, with guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald both going down with season-ending injuries in Thursday's 95-60 blowout loss to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury.
While 36-year-old veteran Colson tore her left ACL in the first quarter of the matchup, midseason signee McDonald broke her foot in the fourth quarter — leaving Indiana with just nine available players for Saturday's 92-70 win over the No. 11 Chicago Sky.
With star Caitlin Clark still recovering from a groin injury, Thursday saw the Fever's point guard stock dwindle even further — especially as the team initially signed McDonald to a rest-of-season contract in late June to specifically address Clark's absence and help lighten the load.
"This is the most resilient team I've ever been a part of, and I say that wholeheartedly," Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell told reporters following her game-leading 26-point performance on Saturday. "We've had a lot of mishap happen throughout the course of the season...and we've stayed resilient."
With Colson and McDonald out for 2025 and Clark's recovery timeline still uncertain, Indiana's ongoing struggle to patch together a full, healthy roster saw the Fever sign veteran guard Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract on Sunday.
How to watch the Indiana Fever this week
The No. 5 Fever will put their newest lineup to the test on Tuesday, when Indiana will host the No. 12 Dallas Wings at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.
DiJonai Carrington, Odyssey Sims, Mercedes Russell and Kelsey Mitchell have been selected as Athletes Unlimited’s week one basketball captains.
The @AUProSports basketball week 1 captains are set.
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) January 23, 2022
Tune into the draft at 3PM ET streaming on AU's YouTube and Facebook.
🟡: @Kelz_Hoop
🟠: @MerSladezz
🔵: @Lucky_Lefty0
🟣: @DijonaiVictoria
JWS x #BeUnlimited pic.twitter.com/BPKijuIT8v
The league’s inaugural week one draft will kick off at 3 pm ET on Sunday, streaming on Facebook Live.
Teams will be formed from a 44-player list, which features, among other talents, WNBA stars like Lexie Brown, with Carrington, Sims, Russell and Mitchell selecting their squads for the first round of games.
The Athletes Unlimited basketball season tips off on Wednesday in Las Vegas, with the opener streaming live on Athletes Unlimited’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter channels at 8:00 PM ET and the second game airing on CBS Sports Network at 11:00 PM ET.
The five-week competition runs through Feb. 26.