A 102-85 loss wasn’t the start to the playoffs that the Indiana Fever wanted. They entered Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs against the Las Vegas Aces, 2-1 up over them in the regular season, but couldn’t win when it counted. Caitlin Clark and Co. are in a do-or-die situation for Game 2, but in these trying times, they now have their NBA counterparts standing behind them.

With under a day before the Fever play their next game on Tuesday, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, among others, dropped a custom shout-out video to make sure the women’s team knew they had their support.

“Our team is amazing. Caitlin, Kelsey, Aliyah. Going down the line, we have a great team with a lot of great women on it,” Haliburton said in a video posted by the Pacers on X.

That message clearly didn’t go unnoticed as the Fever responded to the shout-out video on X with a simple “❤️🤝.”

But Haliburton wasn’t the only one, as several other players, including Obi Toppin and Quenton Jackson, also rallied behind the Fever. Even Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had something to say.

“The environment is awesome. I mean, the place is just absolutely lit,” said Carlisle. “We’ll be at the game tomorrow night, you know, when they play the Aces in game two. So we’ll be there, we’ll be courtside, and we’ll be into it.”

That kind of support could be crucial for Caitlin Clark and her teammates, especially after what happened in Game 1. Indiana’s defense had no answers for the Aces as Las Vegas shot 59% from the field and 47% from three-point range in the 102-85 win. A’ja Wilson was at the center of the damage, finishing with 38 points and 16 rebounds as the Aces made the Fever pay on both ends of the floor.

Indiana, meanwhile, struggled to find the same rhythm that had carried them through the regular season. Clark finished with 15 points and 10 assists but also committed six turnovers, while Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever’s most reliable shooter throughout the season, was limited to just 12 points. But the good news is Clark knows exactly where things went wrong.

“We want to play in transition, and obviously, when they score 102 points, like, it’s hard for us to kind of get that part of it going,” Caitlin Clark said during the post-game interview. “I think they’re good defenders, but at the same time, we made it hard on ourselves, too. Like, I thought our actions were sloppy.

“I thought what we were running just wasn’t great, and just nobody got an easy or open look. So I think a combination of both, but you know, got to just keep shooting at this point in the year like it is what it is.”

Now, with Game 2 of the three-game series set to tip off on Tuesday, Caitlin Clark and Co. will have to pull out all the stops. They will have home-court advantage in this game, and with the Pacers also planning to show up and back them, the Fever will need to bring this one home. Otherwise, their championship hopes will end before they even have a chance to properly begin.

ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Fever a 52.4% chance of winning this matchup. And considering Indiana has the best offensive rating in the league, they certainly have what it takes to even the series. So they just need to force the Las Vegas Aces into tough positions and make sure Game 1 doesn’t become the story that defines their playoff run.