The Indiana Fever are set to face the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, with the series kicking off on Sunday. As the third seed, Connecticut will host the first two games before the series moves to Indiana. The Fever, led by star rookie Caitlin Clark, are making their first playoff appearance since 2016. Clark has had an impressive debut season, but she’s not the only key player for Indiana. Kelsey Mitchell, her backcourt partner, has also been a crucial contributor, averaging 19.2 points per game. Both players, along with Aliyah Boston, earned All-Star honors this season.
In the Fever’s final regular season game against the Washington Mystics, Mitchell suffered an injury scare and was limited to just five minutes of play. However, she reassured fans and reporters on Saturday that she is feeling great. Speaking with reporters, Mitchell stated, “I feel great. Hopefully you guys saw me, I didn’t think I looked bad. I feel great, I think for us it was just about precautions.” Her comments, reported by Matthew Byrne of ClutchPoints, show that she’s not concerned about the injury.
Indiana later confirmed that Mitchell has been cleared to play in Sunday’s playoff opener, announcing a completely clean injury report ahead of the game. This news is a significant relief for the Fever, who will need all their key players available for what is expected to be a tough series against the Sun.
The Clark-Mitchell backcourt has been historic for Indiana this season. Both players broke the Fever’s single-season franchise scoring record, with Clark narrowly edging out Mitchell by just two points. The team acknowledged this milestone on social media, writing, “Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell both broke the single-season franchise scoring record. Congrats to @CaitlinClark22 on setting the new mark.”
With Mitchell officially cleared to play, Indiana is ready to give their all in their first playoff game on Sunday at 3:00 PM ET. The Fever will need strong performances from both Clark and Mitchell to compete against Connecticut, making Mitchell’s return to full health a critical factor in the series.
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