The Indiana Fever are in a coma. Stephanie White’s team is without a point guard and a working brain that would facilitate things to make plays. This injury crisis means there is a domino effect throughout the team, as now suddenly Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell can’t play the role they have been thriving in for the last few weeks. The two alternated in the point guard position against the Chicago Sky and even thrived. Cunningham used all of her experience to be comfortable in her new role while scoring 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The temporary fix worked. Mitchell dropped 26 points and 6 assists while adjusting to the new world order to continue their clean sweep against the Sky. It was a dominating win in difficult circumstances against their rivals, which brought some hope to Indiana. Even with the one point guard-less victory, the future holds many challenges for the Fever side, but they aren’t dwelling on the setbacks or tricky circumstances. 

Kelsey Mitchell told the media after the win, “I think our last two, you know, obviously we lost our last two, but I think I don’t know that LA one felt good for us because we didn’t quit. And then, you know, life happened the other night in at the Valley. So, we could have we could have looked at it like, oh, why always me and you know, we don’t have enough players, and we didn’t.”

The Sparks game was almost lost in the second quarter. The Sparks were dominant as they outscored the Fever 28-16, and it was the Fever catching up ever since. And they almost did, bringing the lead down to just six points with two minutes. There just was not enough time to complete their comeback, but they were at the Sparks’ necks for the better part of the second half. It was a spirited performance lauded by coach White, who admitted, “We didn’t have it in all areas tonight, but we gave ourselves a chance down the stretch. And I think it says a lot about this group and just how convicted they are.” The focus for Mitchell and Co is on the process and their effort. That part was pretty much covered against the Sparks.

Just as they were recovering from their first loss in five games, they immediately received another setback early in the next game, with Colson going down. Then they lost Arie in the fourth quarter. No team can shrug off losing two of its key players in one game without any consequences, and they were blown out by the Mercury. Even with an injury crisis and alarms ringing at the franchise, they went about their work against the Sky, getting their season back on track.

Kelsey Mitchell made it clear that injuries are no excuse for losing, firmly stating, “It’s a professional league and we have to be ready, and we can’t make too many excuses about it because no one’s going to hand us anything. So, we might as well look at it for what it is and keep showing up.”

Things have never been easy for the Fever at any point of the season. Clark has been on the sidelines for more than half of their games. Cunningham has dealt with injuries and took some time adjusting to her new team. Mitchell herself was in a rough patch early in the season. White has received a lot of flak for her coaching and tactics. It’s a roster of fighters who are doing their best to improve day by day, making the best of what is presented by their fate. Lexie Hull is a prime example as she was losing the trust of the fans before this game, but she fought through to drop her best performances of the season.

Lexie Hull Fights Back After DeWanna Bonner Jibe

Lexie Hull was having a tough time. After a string of single-digit games, she was feeling the heat against the Phoenix Mercury. And it got worse as Alyssa Thomas screened her off to give DeWanna Bonner the space for a clean three early in the game. As they raced back to the other end of the court, Bonner had some words for her replacement at Fever. According to many fans and analysts, Bonner called Hull a “bum.”

Hull buckled under the trash talk and the pressure, as her performance in this game was a stark difference from what we had seen early in the season. She managed only 2 points on a dismal 1-of-11 shooting performance, missing all of her eight three-point attempts. Hull collected herself after the game and delivered a resounding reply for Bonner when the Fever needed it the most. She had 17 points on 5-9 shooting, which included her return to form from the 3, going 4-6 from downtown. Hull also had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a +22 rating to go with her scoring.

“For me, it’s focusing on doing the right thing, taking the right shots, being in the right place and focusing less on the outcome,” Hull said after the game. “Missed shots happen. It’s gonna happen in everyone’s career. You just have to really focus on getting the next good one. That’s the whole mindset.”

Many fans heavily went down at Bonner after taking shots at the “nicest player” on the Fever team. Even Rachel DeMita expressed her surprise, saying, “I feel like chirping Lexie is a wild move. Like, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she started chirping like literally anyone else on The Fever.” There was no visible reaction from Hull after Bonner went at her, but she replied in the form of her performance in their next match-up.

Hull took it upon herself after one of her worst shooting nights and showed up with a positive attitude, and it paid off. The Fever are still not out of the woods with regards to their squad situation. They are yet to sign a replacement point guard as Clark’s return seems to be still far away. However, Mitchell and Co. have a positive attitude when dealing with this crisis, which makes things easier.