INDIANAPOLIS — There was a little more at stake Thursday as the Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream 83-71 in the teams’ first Commissioner’s Cup game of the season. The Fever won last season’s Commissioner’s Cup — an annual in-season tournament — and took home the $500,000 prize. Several Indiana players said it was important to begin their title defense against the Dream, with Sophie Cunningham noting that the $30,000 each player won in 2025 was less than that after taxes, but more importantly, they wanted to rebound from an abysmal road loss against the Portland Fire last week.
The Fever held a team meeting on Monday to address their issues and air grievances, and they responded with a statement win over the hot Dream. Indiana used a balanced offensive approach and stifling defense to bounce back and improve to 5-4. Atlanta fell to 6-3.
Advertisement
Clark throws up and then goes off
Fever star Caitlin Clark looked particularly fatigued during certain stretches. She threw up at halftime, the Prime Video broadcast reported, which team sources confirmed to The Athletic. But in the third quarter, it was hard to tell that Clark may have been feeling less than 100 percent. She drilled a step-back 3-pointer over Dream defender Allisha Gray to help the Fever retake the lead at 44-43, and she briefly posed for the home fans before running back on defense.
A few plays later, Clark dished a pinpoint pass to Kelsey Mitchell for a layup that pushed Indiana’s lead to six points and forced the Dream to call a timeout. As fired-up Clark went back to her bench, she and coach Stephanie White, who went viral for their verbal spat in the Fever’s loss at Portland last week, bear-hugged each other as they smiled from ear to ear. Clark totaled 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 31 minutes.
Advertisement
Fever’s improved defense
The Fever had given up at least 100 points in three of their four losses this season entering Thursday’s contest. They’d also allowed opponents to shoot 47 percent from the field, which was fourth highest in the WNBA. Against the Dream, however, Indiana displayed much more defensive resistance, holding them to 34.3 percent shooting and just 29 first-half points.
Cunningham revealed earlier this week that Indiana was able to run only one defensive scheme, which was basically a bunch of switching, because players were unable to execute other coverages that White has tried to implement. The Fever did less switching Thursday, and Clark and Mitchell, who’ve both said struggled to guard in isolation situations, held their own better against the Dream.
Advertisement
On one possession in the second quarter, Mitchell was guarding Gray one-on-one and forced her into a tough, missed shot. Mitchell came down on the next play and drilled a step-back jumper over Gray, which was a sign of things to come.
Kelsey Mitchell’s heater
Mitchell got off to a slow start Thursday, missing 4 of 6 first-quarter shots. But when the second frame rolled around, Mitchell, a three-time All-Star, entered a zone that proved why she’s one of the best WNBA scorers. She didn’t miss a shot in the second and third quarters, reeling off nine straight field goals and scoring 20 of her 25 points during that stretch.
Advertisement
Mitchell caught fire in the third quarter when she scored 11 straight points for a 58-46 Indiana lead. After making a pull-up 3-pointer in transition to cap her personal explosion, the Dream called a timeout as Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupted with excitement. Mitchell eclipsed 5,000 regular-season points, joining Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings as the only Fever players to reach that threshold.
Dream winning streak snapped
Atlanta was on a two-game winning streak and had won four of its last five before facing the Fever, but outside of a brief third-quarter stretch, the Dream struggled to take control of the game.
Advertisement
All-Star trio Gray, Rhyne Howard and Angel Reese all had subpar outings. Gray entered Thursday averaging 21.1 points per game, second-most in the league, but she was held to 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting. Howard, who had been averaging 19.3 points per game, finished with 8 points on 2-of-9 shooting. Howard and Gray had just 2 points apiece in the first half. Reese, meanwhile, totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds but coughed up a team-high four turnovers.
The Dream are back in action Saturday when they host the Washington Mystics. The Fever will play on the road against the New York Liberty on Saturday.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, WNBA
2026 The Athletic Media Company
