Indiana Fever fans witnessed a painful defeat as crucial mistakes in the final minutes sealed the loss. This recap covers the full game story, player performances, and how this impacts the standings. Subscribe for more Indiana Fever recaps, reactions, and WNBA content.
00:00The lights at Target Center felt just a little brighter on August 25th, 2025, and not just because it was a Sunday night showcase.
00:08Nafisa Kalia was back. Seven games away had done nothing to dull her edge.
00:12From a moment she stepped onto the floor, there was a sense that Minnesota's heartbeat had returned.
00:18Indiana, meanwhile, came in with their own urgency.
00:21Two nights earlier in Indianapolis, they'd let one slip.
00:25A third-quarter collapse, turning a winnable game into a 95-90 loss.
00:30Now still, without Kaitlin Clark for the 15th straight game and missing Sophie Cunningham for the season,
00:35they were staring down the same opponent, this time on the road.
00:39Kelsey Mitchell was ready to lead again.
00:41With Natasha Howard, Aaliyah Boston, and hardship signees, she petty and aerial powers tasked with filling the gaps.
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01:07From the opening tip, the fever looked like a team intent on flipping the script.
01:12Mitchell attacked the seams, drawing fouls and hitting from mid-range.
01:16Howard found her spots.
01:18Boston went to work on the block, and the ball zipped crisply around the perimeter.
01:23They poured in 30 points in the first quarter, taking a 30-25 lead and forcing Minnesota to play catch-up.
01:30Collier, though, was already in rhythm, scoring inside, stepping out for jumpers, and keeping the Lynx within striking distance.
01:37The second quarter began as a tug-of-war, but the ropes slipped from Indiana's hands in the final three minutes before halftime.
01:44Their offense cooled the Lynx bench, led by Maria Kleindakova, found daylight, and then came the gut punch.
01:51On 1-1-0 Minnesota a run.
01:54Collier punctuated it with a short turnaround, and the fever walked into the locker room down 52-45.
02:00The momentum entirely gone.
02:03If the second quarter belonged to the Lynx bench, the third was Collier's personal stage.
02:08She opened with a short jumper, then buried a three, pushing the lead into double digits before Indiana could blink.
02:16Courtney Williams orchestrated with surgical precision 10 assists, zero turnovers, while Kayla McBride and Kleindakova hit timely threes.
02:25Mitchell and Boston kept fighting, but the gap refused to shrink.
02:29In the fourth, Indiana threw everything they had left.
02:32Petty slashed at the rim.
02:34Hull knocked down a three.
02:35Boston floated one in.
02:37Powers and Howard finished through contact.
02:40But every surge was met with a Minnesota answer.
02:43McBride from the corner, Collier on the block, Williams with a dagger from deep.
02:47The Lynx closed it out 97-84, shooting a blistering 57% from the field, 57% from three, and nearly perfect at the line.
02:56Collier's return was nothing short of dominant.
03:0032 points on 1-1 for 1-9 shooting, 9 rebounds, and the kind of presence that bends a game to her will.
03:06Williams added 14 points, and those flawless 10 assists, McBride and Kleindakova chipped in 13 apiece.
03:13For Indiana, Mitchell's 26 points on just 12 shots were a masterclass in efficiency.
03:19Petty's 16, a welcome spark.
03:21Boston's 14, and 9, a steady anchor.
03:23And Howard's 10, a reminder of her versatility.
03:26But beneath the box score, the story of these back-to-back losses is about patterns.
03:32In Game 1, it was the third quarter that broke them.
03:35In Game 2, it was the final minutes of the first half.
03:38Two different moments, same result.
03:40A decisive Minnesota run that Indiana couldn't stop.
03:43The Fever's early quarter execution is a strength.
03:46They've proven they can dictate tempo and score in bunches against this defense.
03:51Yet sustaining that focus for four quarters remains the hurdle.
03:55Without Clark's playmaking and Cunningham spacing, the offense leans heavily on Mitchell, making them easier to scheme against when the game slows down.
04:04Indiana's strengths were evident in flashes.
04:07Mitchell's 26 points on just 12 shots.
04:10Boston's steady interior presence.
04:12Howard's versatility.
04:13And the crisp ball movement that fueled their 30-point first quarter.
04:18But the weaknesses were costly.
04:20Defensive lapses that allowed Minnesota's decisive run, limited bench scoring punch, and an over-reliance on Mitchell for shot creation.
04:29The opportunities lie in turning hot starts into sustained pressure, integrating more scoring from the bench, and attacking perimeter gaps with quick guards.
04:38The threats are harder to solve in the short term.
04:41Prolonged absences of Clark and Cunningham limiting their ceiling, predictability late in games, and vulnerability to elite forwards like Collier.
04:50In the Fever War Room, the blueprint would be blunt.
04:52Protect early leads with disciplined defense.
04:55Diversify scoring by running more sets for Boston and Howard.
04:59Identify one or two bench players as designated momentum changers.
05:03Target perimeter mismatches with Petty, Hull, and Mitchell in quick-hitting actions.
05:08And rehearse late-game scenarios to close gaps or protect slim advantages.
05:13Minnesota's strengths were on full display.
05:16Collier's two-way dominance, Williams' flawless control of tempo, and a balanced scoring sheet that kept Indiana guessing.
05:23Their shot selection was textbook, their execution clinical.
05:27Yet the opening frame exposed a weakness.
05:30A slow defensive start that gave the Fever early belief.
05:33And a heavy reliance on Collier to set the offensive rhythm.
05:37The opportunities are clear.
05:39Keep Collier as the offensive hub.
05:41Diversify initiators so the offense doesn't stall if she's blanketed.
05:46And make the bench's second quarter surge a consistent weapon.
05:49The threats are the flip side over dependence on their star.
05:52And the risk of perimeter gaps being exploited by elite guards in the postseason.
05:57In the Lynx War Room, the adjustments would be deliberate.
06:00Start games with the same defensive bite they finish with.
06:03Run Collier in high post and dribble handoff action with Williams to force mismatches.
06:08Use McBride's off-ball movement to warp defenses and open lanes for cutters.
06:13And keep the bench primed as a momentum-swinging unit.
06:17By the final buzzer, the scoreboard told one story.
06:2097-84.
06:22But the deeper narrative was about identity.
06:24Minnesota, with Collier back, looked every bit the contender their record promised.
06:30Their strength sharpened and their path forward clear.
06:33Indiana had proven they could match that fire and bursts.
06:36But learned again that in games like these, one decisive swing can change everything.
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06:56Until next time, stay inspired and keep chasing greatness.
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