The Indiana Fever host the Washington Mystics on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a meeting between two teams that have started 1-1. It is the third game of the season for both clubs, and Indiana goes in with a clean bill of health for the second consecutive game.
That matters because the Fever have spent much of the past year managing injuries. They were without several players in the preseason and Caitlin Clark was limited to 13 games last season because of multiple muscle-related injuries. On Wednesday, though, Indiana beat the Los Angeles Sparks 87-78 behind a balanced effort that looked more like the team it wants to be. Clark had 24 points, four rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Kelsey Mitchell added 23 points, Sophie Cunningham scored 12 and grabbed four rebounds, and Aliyah Boston finished with four points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Monique Billings made her debut in that win after missing the season opener against the Dallas Wings with an ankle injury. Lexie Hull, who missed the entire preseason because of a hamstring issue, has played the first two games on a minutes restriction. The Fever did not have any players sidelined entering Friday, a welcome shift after last season’s injury churn and a start that included a 107-104 loss to Dallas.
The Mystics arrive with their own reasons to believe they belong in the game. Washington opened with a 68-65 win over the Toronto Tempo, with Sonia Citron scoring 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting and Shakira Austin posting 18 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Two nights later, the Mystics pushed the New York Liberty to overtime before falling 98-93. Citron had 17 points on 4-for-12 shooting in that one, while Kiki Iriafen added 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Indiana won last season’s series 3-2, but this year’s schedule leaves little room for familiarity to settle in. The Fever and Mystics are set to meet only three times, with the other matchups coming June 8 in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and Sept. 20. That makes Friday’s game more than a mid-May test. It is an early look at two teams trying to build something before the schedule tightens and the margin for error starts to shrink.
Indiana’s probable starting five is Clark, Mitchell, Cunningham, Billings and Boston. Washington’s projected lineup is Georgia Amoore, Citron, Cassandra Prosper, Iriafen and Austin.
