The Indiana Fever entered their regular season finale agains the Washington Mystics having already secured the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. Whether they win or lose on September 19, their postseason position is locked.
Before tipoff, Fever head coach Christie Sides appeared unsure of the right path to take with the team’s key starters in a non-consequential game against Washington. While Sides said she’d be “cautious” with their minutes, she also didn’t want to ruin the team’s momentum.
“I don’t have a single starter who’s ever played in a playoff game,” Sides said. “We’re all trying to figure out what we need.”
The Fever went with their usual starters on Thursday, and went off on an 11-0 run. However, before the first quarter came to close, Kelsey Mitchell, the team’s No. 1 scorer, was slow to get up after colliding with a Mystics player.
Mitchell, who appeared to injure her ankle, stayed in the game and tried to shake it off before heading to locker room with athletic trainer Todd Champlin. Mitchell eventually returned the bench with a brace on her left knee.
Several fans begged for Sides to sit Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, as well. One woman posted, “why are the indiana fever starters playing in a meaningless game against washington when playoffs start in a couple of days? i hope kelsey mitchell is okay.”
One fan wrote, “It does not make any sense to play these superstars in a pointless game against a bad team. This is a recipe for somebody getting hurt right before the playoffs they need to sit everybody as fast as they can there’s no point in this Kelsey Mitchell almost got hurt way over nothing.”
At the half, Mitchell jogged out to meet with her teammates without a knee brace, a great sign that the injury was nothing serious. Erica Wheeler took over Mitchell’s place in the lineup to start the third quarter, hopefully, just as a precaution.
The Fever’s first playoff game is on Sunday, September 22.
