Indiana Fever vs Washington Mystics
Friday, August 18, 2023
Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7 p.m. ET
Broadcast Information
ION
Pat Boylan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter)
Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Fever will take on the Washington Mystics with tip set for 7 p.m ET. The Fever will look for its third win against the Mystics in the fourth and final matchup between the teams during the regular season.
Indiana was led by center Aliyah Boston’s double-double in its 87-66 defeat against Washington on June 13 as the rookie notched 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor to go along with 14 rebounds and six assists. On July 19, Kelsey Mitchell’s 18 points and Emma Cannon’s 13 points guided Indiana to its 82-76 win over the Mystics in Washington, D.C.
Boston enters the remainder of the regular season as the Rookie of the Year leader and has recorded five consecutive games with at least 15 points and eight rebounds on 50 percent shooting, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to do so. In addition, Boston enters Friday tied with Tamika Catchings for most made field goals by a rookie in franchise history with 184 made field goals. Boston also joined A’ja Wilson, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart and Catchings as one of only five rookies in WNBA history to tally at least 450 points, 250 rebounds and 70 assists in their first season.
Veteran guards Kelsey Mitchell and Erica Wheeler are also approaching milestones of their own. Mitchell nears her 3,000th point in a Fever uniform and currently ranks second in the franchise ranks for points (2,959), field goals (1,034) and three-point field goals (421). Wheeler, who averages a team-leading 5.0 assists per game, is nearing her 1,000th career assists as she enters Friday with 998 assists.
The Fever are also supported by forward NaLyssa Smith’s 15.1 points per contest to go along with 9.4 rebounds on average, good for third in the WNBA ranks. Both Kristy Wallace and Emma Cannon have provided support, as Wallace has recently earned two consecutive starts and is averaging 6.3 points per game, while Cannon averaged 11.3 points in the three consecutive games she earned a spot in the starting lineup.
Washington enters the matchup following a 83-76 win over the Chicago Sky. The Mystics are led by the seven-time All-Star Elena Delle Donne averaging 18.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. Brittney Sykes leads the league in steals with an average of 2.2 steals per game while also averaging 15.1 points. In addition, Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud are averaging 12.5 points and 12.2 points respectively.
Mystics forward Queen Egbo returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse after being traded back on July 4 for forward Amanda Zahui B. Egbo has since averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in her 14 games with Washington.
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever (8-23)
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell (17.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Guard – Erica Wheeler (10.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.0 apg)
Guard – Kristy Wallace (6.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Forward – Victoria Vivians (5.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Center – Aliyah Boston (14.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
Washington Mystics (14-16)
Guard – Natasha Cloud (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.9 apg)
Guard – Brittney Sykes (15.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.2 spg)
Guard – Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (6.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.6 apg)
Forward – Tianna Hawkins (9.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Forward – Myisha Hines-Allen (5.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Game Status Report
Indiana: No injuries
Washington: TBA
Originally posted on fever.wnba.com