Indiana beat Atlanta 87–85 on Thursday to clinch the series, 2–1. The win took place at Gateway Centre Arena in front of 3,800 fans. Indiana led the quarters 29–27, 20–29, 20–17, and 18–12. It is the Fever’s first playoff series win since 2015. The box score recorded just six Indiana turnovers against Atlanta’s fourteen.
The Closing Sequence, Precisely
Aliyah Boston slipped free for the go-ahead layup with 7.4 seconds left. Lexie Hull then stole the ensuing inbounds pass cleanly. Odyssey Sims split free throws, leaving Atlanta 1.2 seconds. Brionna Jones’ off-balance three at the horn missed long. Indiana (3.95) closed the night on a composed 7–0 run.
Who Carried the Scoring Load
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting and 7-of-7 free throws. Boston posted 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in control. Sims added 16 points and eight assists while setting the pace. Atlanta’s Allisha Gray delivered 19 points and 12 rebounds; Jordin Canada had 18 and ten. Rhyne Howard added 16 as Atlanta shot 50.0% overall.
Team Stats That Decided It
Indiana shot 41.6% from the field and 27.3% from three. Atlanta shot 26.1% from three and outrebounded Indiana 39–34. Turnover margin proved decisive at plus-eight for the Fever. The game tied 80–80 at 3:21 after Brianna Turner’s put-back. Shey Peddy’s earlier triple sparked that late surge toward the finish.
Context and What’s Next
The Game 3 clincher aired on ESPN2 from College Park, Georgia. Series results: Dream 80–68 Fever, Fever 77–60 Dream, Fever 87–85 Dream. Indiana advances to face the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. The bracket now rewards Indiana’s low-mistake, late-game profile. Thursday’s numbers justified the moment more than any headline could.
