Breaking Down the Indiana Fever’s Potential Playoff Matchups

The Indiana Fever punched their ticket to the postseason after a dominant 94-65 win over the Washington Mystics Sunday, which placed them as the No. 7 seed in the standings.Thanks to a tiebreaker over the Seattle Storm, they’re locked into either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed. 

Sunday’s win against the Washington Mystics eliminated a first-round matchup in the playoffs with the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and with only a few games left to play in the regular season, Indiana’s possible matchups include the Las Vegas Aces, The Atlanta Dream or the Phoenix Mercury. The Aces and the Dream do have an advantage of finishing second and third over the Mercury though, making a first-round meeting against Phoenix less likely for the Fever.

Should the Fever maintain their position at No. 7, the Aces seem to be the most possible contest for Indiana in the first round, as their remaining opponents sit low in the standings, giving Vegas the edge to come out as the No. 2 seed. And while it’s possible for Indiana to finish at No. 6, to get there, they would have to beat the Lynx in the final in-season game, which is a tall order.

Indiana Fever’s Likely Matchups for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

1. The Las Vegas Aces

The Fever lead the series against Las Vegas 2-1, But that was before the Lynx handed the Aces a 111-58 beatdown where Vegas superstar A’ja Wilson was quoted as saying, “If you weren’t embarrassed from yesterday, then don’t come into this gym. You’re not needed or wanted here,” which served as a reality check, while simultaneously sparking a dramatic turnaround for the Aces. 

Wilson’s words seemed to have sent shockwaves through to her teammates and since, the Aces went on a meteoric 14 game winning streak — tied for the fourth-longest streak in league history.  

So while the Aces looked mortal early in the season, this team has found another gear. But Indiana have toppled them before, even without their superstar Caitlin Clark on the court. But they will have to lock-in and dig deep to overcome the challenge the Aces pose.

2. The Atlanta Dream

Should the Aces lose on of their remaining games and Atlanta come out the winners of theirs, Indiana could face off against the Dream in the first-round of playoffs — and that is no cakewalk either. 

Atlanta is a threat at the perimeter with the sharpshooting of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, but also deadly inside the paint with Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner posted under the basket. 

With first-year head coach Karl Smesko at the helm, Atlanta transformed from  a team who struggled to make the playoffs in 2024, to a force to be reckoned with, holding a top spot throughout the 2025 season.

Indiana does hold the series lead with Atlanta though, winning 2-1, making a win in a playoff series within reach for the Fever.

The Indiana Fever Will Get a Chance to Host a Playoff Game At Home

The playoffs begin Sunday, September 14 with round one being a best-of-three game series. The format has changed this season to include each team getting a chance to showcase a playoff game at home. The higher seed will host Game 1, while the lower seed gets Game 2, unlike last season where the Fever never got to bring a playoff contest to Indiana after going down in the first two games to the Connecticut Sun on their turf. 

For the Fever, this playoff berth is already a big W. After a domino effect of injuries and a revolving door of hardship players entering the rotation, Indiana fought tooth and nail against the odds to prove that they are not a team to be counted out.

And though they will not be heading into the playoffs with their franchise cornerstone Caitlin Clark, she will undoubtedly be cheering on her teammates on from the sidelines — and maybe giving the refs a piece of her mind — as she has for nearly every game she has not been able to suit up for throughout the season.

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