The Indiana Fever could not have imagined a worse ending to their 2026 regular-season campaign. A huge loss coupled with lackluster shooting was a spoiler for the Fever fans who wanted to see the Fever end on a winning note. However, it was the injuries, especially to their veteran guards, that may prove costlier down the line.
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During the 86-66 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, Indiana saw a couple of injuries. Aliyah Boston had to be assisted to the locker room in the second quarter. Right after halftime, it was guard Tyasha Harris who suffered a scary ankle injury while trying to score against the Lynx’s physical defense. According to WNBA broadcaster Robin Lundberg, Harris’s injury could prove to be significant for Indiana.
“That’s a really, really bad blow for the Fever because Harris has been a reliable contributor for them all year,” Lundberg said on his YouTube channel.
“The way I’ve put it with Tai is that she never takes anything off the table. She only puts things on the table… I wouldn’t be optimistic about her for the playoffs, having seen that.”
Harris suffered an injury in the third quarter. With just 3:30 left in the quarter, Harris went for a layup when she collided with Nia Brodie. The Fever reserve guard landed awkwardly on her left foot and appeared to have rolled her ankle. She fell to the court and grabbed her ankle in pain.
Myisha Hines-Allen, Sophie Cunningham, Raven Johnson and Monique Billings, who were on court with Harris, surrounded her while she lay on the floor in pain. The Fever trainers attended to their injured player. She was eventually carried to the locker room.
Although Fever head coach Stephanie White said that Boston’s injury was just a flare-up, Lundberg added that he didn’t have much hope about Harris’s return before the playoffs started on Saturday.
Last year, while playing for the Dallas Wings, Harris suffered a season-ending patellar injury. She played only five games last season before undergoing surgery in June last year, and was cleared to play in March 2026.
While she doesn’t consume top minutes on the Fever roster, Harris has been important for the Fever throughout the season, especially in a rotational role. She played 39 games this season and started four. Harris averaged 4.1 points and 2.0 assists while shooting 42.2% from the field.
Her biggest contribution was on the defensive end that didn’t show up on the stat sheet. She provided Indiana with on-ball defensive pressure against opponents. With her out of the lineup, the Fever’s defense is under even more pressure.
For now, the Indiana Fever have a bigger problem to worry about. Following the loss, they’ve secured the sixth seed and will face the Las Vegas Aces in the first round. They faced the Aces in the second round last postseason, before losing the series in overtime in Game 5.
While the Fever have two regular season wins over the defending champions, the Aces have performed better down the stretch. While the Fever ended the season with six wins in their last 10 games, Vegas finished 8-2, with a seven-game win streak.
However, Caitlin Clark is far from giving up on her team yet. The Fever star is already looking forward to facing the Aces’ challenge.
“It is what it is. We got punched in the mouth. We didn’t make shots,” Clark told reporters after the game.
“I think for us is like you’ve got to do it for the people around you. You got to buy in, and I’m excited. If you can’t get up for the playoffs, then you probably shouldn’t be on this team.”
Regardless, on Thursday, the Fever gave one of their poorest performances of the 2026 season. While some of the community’s most prominent voices, like Rachel DeMita, believe the Aces are a better match for the Fever, we’ll have to wait and see whether the Fever can address their defensive shortcomings before Sunday.