There is no sight comparable to when a team that is down big, riddled with injuries and yet, they pull out an amazing win out of the jaws of defeat. That sight was seen just minutes ago when the Indiana Fever faced the Connecticut Sun. Already down Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald, and Sydney Colson, the Fever lost another important piece, Sophie Cunningham as well. However, they pulled out a comeback when Indiana’s ‘MVP’, Kelsey Mitchell, had a franchise-record performance. 

At one stage in the third quarter, a comeback seemed impossible. At the 7:39 minute mark of the third quarter, Connecticut held a 21-point lead. In fact, ESPN’s analytics gave them just a 2.5% chance of coming away with the win. Enter Kelsey Mitchell. The Indiana Fever’s leader de facto after Caitlin Clark’s injury had yet another game where she made the impossible, possible. She led the Fever to a franchise record 21-point comeback and beat the Connecticut Sun 99-93 after OT. But that wasn’t the only franchise record that was beaten during the afternoon’s game.

On her way to leading the Fever to victory, Kelsey Mitchell became the Indiana Fever player with the most 30-point games ever. With her 11th 30-point game, she has overtaken the Indiana Fever and WNBA legend, Tamika Catchings. Interestingly, 4 of her 11 30-point games have come in the ongoing WNBA season. After her record-breaking performance, fans around the world have only one demand: for her name to be in the running for the WNBA’s MVP award.

After the Indiana Fever made the calling her their ‘MVP’, fans joined in to demand that Kelsey Mitchell be also considered for the coveted MVP award. During the game, Mitchell also became the player with the most 30-point games in the Indiana Fever’s history. Reacted to the team’s X post, fans had their own say on the topic.

A fan responded emphatically, “MVP kelssssss 🔥” Adding a fire emoji in the comment sounds about right since during the second half and OT, Kelsey was certainly on fire. Out of her 38 points, 34 came in the second half. During overtime, she took over the game and scored all of Indiana’s first 10 points. 

Another fan questioned why Kelsey’s name was not in the MVP race. He tweeted, “Why is Mitchell not in the league MVP discussion? She’s consistently doing whatever the team needs to win.” Well, as of now, Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson are the top three contenders for the award (via BETMGM odds). However, with a WNBA season-high scoring performance, her odds of winning the awards or at least being in the top 3 will certainly come down a long way.

Yet another fan reacted emphatically and demanded that the fans celebrate Kelsey Mitchell. Their reaction read, “Celebrate our girl Kelz! MVP.” While the Indiana Fever certainly seems to celebrate her, after her performances, her WNBA world will begin celebrating her soon too. Always taking a back seat to Caitlin Clark, this season is a true testament to how big a role she plays in Indiana’s success. The only reason Indiana can even think about a playoff position after the rotten luck they have had is Kelsey Mitchell.

Now with yet another potential injury to deal with, Indiana fans would hope Kelsey can continue her dominant season for the sake of their playoff hopes.

No Word Yet On Sophie Cunningham as Indiana Fever Waits for MRI

In terms of injuries this season, if the Indiana Fever didn’t have bad luck, they’d have no luck. While early in the season, it seemed like these injuries were just limited to Caitlin Clark, in the last couple of weeks, the injury bug seems to have spread to the rest of the guards as well. First, it was Sydney Colson. Then, in the same game, Aari McDonald. Both are out for the rest of the season. And now, the latest one to fall is Sophie Cunningham.

Around the 8-minute mark in the second quarter, Bria Hartley drove to the bucket and then kicked out a pass. However, her momentum led to a clash with Sophie Cunningham’s right leg. Immediately after, Sophie was down on the floor, wincing in pain and holding her right leg. She went back to the locker room and wasn’t able to put weight on her leg. While the game was exciting enough to momentarily forget about Sophie’s injury, after the game, the question was on everyone’s mind.

However, till now, there is no new update on Sophie Cunningham and the severity of her injury. While Stephanie White was not able to give an update, she did say that Sophie will undergo an MRI once the team is back home. An MRI will give a clear picture of how severe the injury is and, therefore, dictate the timeline of her return. For now, the fans have to wait anxiously for the updates and hope that it is nothing too serious.

Already down 4 guards for the season, the Fever’s season is hanging on by a thread. Will they power through and make the playoffs? Or will this much-hyped season eventually end in heartbreak? Only time will tell….