Image: © Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fever vs Dream Playoffs Game 2: Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston Combine 34 Points to Force a Series Decider

Action will move back to Atlanta for decisive Game 3 on Thursday.

Image: © Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston combined a total of 34 points to lead the Indiana Fever to a crucial win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 2 of their first-round WNBA playoffs series. Indiana entered the game on the back of an 80-68 loss in the series opener. However, on Tuesday, they displayed brilliant defensive prowess and restricted the Dream to 77-60 to force a decisive Game 3, keeping their season hopes alive.

Kelsey Mitchell came up big in a must-win Game 2 👏 pic.twitter.com/uG3XbPxLQK
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 17, 2025

Mitchell led Indiana to its first playoff win in 3,638 days (since October 11, 2015 vs. Minnesota) with 19 points and four assists. Boston poured in 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Natasha Howard dropped 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists. On the Dream’s side, Te-Hina Paopao finished with 11 points and one rebound, while Rhyne Howard chipped in 10 points, two rebounds, and three assists.

Indiana Fever Take Early Control of Game 2

The Fever, who managed to make it to the playoffs despite an injury-riddled season, didn’t want to give up so easily on their postseason dreams. Following a turbulent campaign and losing most of the key players with season-ending injuries, Stephanie White’s team made the final push and finished sixth in the standings. After losing the opener with a significant margin, the Fever made full use of their homecourt conditions, and bounced back strongly in the series.

fourth triple of the night for Kelsey Mitchell in Game 2 🎯 pic.twitter.com/QrLDpHoq6t
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 17, 2025

They took early control of the game and led their rivals by six points at the end of the first quarter. Displaying strong defense, the Fever extended the lead to as many as 11 points in the first half, but Atlanta managed to trim the deficit with the first 3-pointer by Allisha Gray at buzzer. The Fever was leading the Dream 35-29 at halftime. Mitchell had 11 points, while shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Howard recorded six points and four rebounds in the first half.

On the other hand, Brionna Jones tallied eight points and 4-of-5 threes for the Dream. Gray recorded five points, while shooting 2-of-9 from the field.

5 points in the final 9 seconds of the third quarter 🔥

Aliyah Boston gets inside for the bucket, Kelsey Mitchell steals the inbound and Lexie Hull cashes in with a three at the buzzer to put us up 15 at the end of three ♨️ pic.twitter.com/HI1IDZJIHI
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 17, 2025

After the break, Indiana went on a 7-0 run to take a 47-37 lead over their counterparts with 2:52 left in the third quarter. They scored five points in the final nine seconds including Lexie Hull’s 3 in the final two seconds to close it on a 59-44 lead. With a 12-3 run in the final quarter, the Fever extended their lead to 71-47, and while the visitors narrowed the gap, they didn’t really manage to get close enough to it.

2025 WNBA Playoffs

Atlanta Dream

Indiana Fever

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.