In a first-round playoff rubber match on Thursday, either the Atlanta Dream or visiting Indiana Fever will snap a prolonged postseason drought on the way to the WNBA semifinals.

After falling 80-68 on the road in Game 1, Indiana breezed past Atlanta 77-60 at home on Tuesday to even the series, setting up a winner-take-all elimination game in College Park, Ga.

The sixth-seeded Fever, who won their first playoff game since 2015, were led by Kelsey Mitchell’s 19 points. They held the third-seeded Dream to 37.9 percent shooting from the field (25 of 66). If Indiana is going to advance past the first round for the first time in a decade, it will likely need a similar defensive effort on Thursday.

“Our aggressiveness, our attention to detail, our ability to contest without fouling, I thought that was huge,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said on Tuesday. “We played good enough defense (in Game 1) and our offense just couldn’t get it going. We were able to get it going on both sides tonight. I continue to be so proud of this group and their resilience.”

A victory Thursday would alleviate an up-and-down year for Indiana, a team that’s been without superstar point guard Caitlin Clark for more than two months and needed to win five of seven down the stretch to squeeze into the playoffs.

“The playoffs are all about not giving up. If I’ve learned anything about our group and our resilience, we won’t give up,” Mitchell said. “Right now, it’s just about that — not giving up and going the extra mile.”

Atlanta still holds the advantage, playing at home, but is one defeat away from seeing the winningest season in franchise history come to an end.

“I truly believe we’ll play our best game of the series next game,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said. “We’re going to have to be better offensively, for sure. We’re going to have to shoot it better, but we have a lot of really talented offensive players and I think we’ll get it going next game.”

After Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard went for 20 points apiece in Game 1, Atlanta’s leading scorers were held to nine and 10 points, respectively, on Tuesday. The Dream haven’t won a playoff series since beating the Seattle Storm in the first round – a one-game round — in 2016.

–Field Level Media

Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase added to her successful debut campaign Wednesday with the WNBA Coach of the Year award.

Nakase received 53 of 72 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters after guiding the first-year club to a 23-21 record.

Karl Smesko of the Atlanta Dream finished second with 15 votes, with Becky Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces and Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx each receiving two votes.

Golden State became the first WNBA expansion team ever to make the playoffs. The eighth-seeded Valkyries lost Game 1 of their first-round series with the Lynx and face elimination in Game 2 on Wednesday night in San Jose, Calif.

Nakase, 45, was hired by the Valkyries in October 2024 after three seasons as an assistant coach with Las Vegas. Prior to that, the former UCLA point guard spent 10 seasons in the Los Angeles Clippers organization, finishing her tenure there as an assistant coach.

The Valkyries finished No. 1 in the WNBA in both scoring defense (76.3 points per game) and opponents’ field-goal percentage (.405). They also made a league-leading 9.7 3-pointers per game.

–Field Level Media

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart said a knee injury will not keep her from playing Wednesday night against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of a first-round playoff series.

The defending champion Liberty won 76-69 in overtime on Sunday in Phoenix to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Game 2 will be played in Brooklyn.

Stewart left Game 1 after falling to the floor and grabbing her left knee in overtime. A two-time league Most Valuable Player, Stewart said she was diagnosed with a sprained MCL.

“They told me that structurally, everything looks OK,” Stewart told reporters Wednesday morning. “So my plan is to go.”

“I’m very happy to have gotten my MRI results back and know that it’s something I can play through,” she added.

The winner of the series will play the winner of the set between the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and the expansion Golden State Valkyries. The Lynx are up 1-0 ahead of their game Wednesday in San Jose, Calif.

Should the Mercury defeat the Liberty, the series would return to Phoenix.

On the season, Stewart averages a team-leading 18.3 points per game along with 6.5 rebounds.

The 31-year old is a two-time WNBA Finals MVP.

–Field Level Media

New York’s Breanna Stewart has been the biggest X-factor for Wednesday’s playoff game between the reigning WNBA champion Liberty and the visiting Phoenix Mercury.

Will she or won’t she play in Game 2 of the first-round series, despite an injury to her left knee?

After shootaround Wednesday in Brooklyn, she told reporters the answer is she will play.

“They told me that structurally, everything looks OK,” Stewart told reporters Wednesday morning. “So my plan is to go.”

The Liberty lead the best-of-three series 1-0 and would advance to the semifinals with a victory. If Phoenix wins, the Mercury would host the deciding third game Friday night.

Stewart, a seven-time All-Star forward, injured her knee late in New York’s 76-69 overtime win Sunday.

Liberty point guard Natasha Cloud admitted she was concerned about Stewart, but for more than what she brings to the court.

“We have a closer locker room, and we care about Stewie more than just as a basketball player,” Cloud said after Game 1. “She got us the (win), but we have a next-man-up mentality.”

Stewart, who earlier this season missed 13 games due to a bone bruise to her right knee, had an impressive performance Sunday, posting 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. She was also the primary defender on Mercury star Alyssa Thomas, who had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Thomas, though, missed a layup with two seconds left in regulation that likely would have won the game. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts pointed to experience as one of his team’s issues.

“(Experience) is one thing our group can’t make up for,” he said. “We haven’t been through it together like (the Liberty) have.”

Perhaps that relative inexperience explains why Satou Sabally shot just 2-for-17 in Game 1. Teammate Monique Akoa Makani shot just 2-for-11.

As a team, Phoenix made just 32.5 percent from the floor, and that allowed New York to escape with a victory despite 21 turnovers — 10 more than the Mercury. The Liberty had 14 of those turnovers in the second half.

In addition, Phoenix’s bench outscored New York’s reserves 21-2 on Sunday. But to win Wednesday, the Mercury will likely need to get more from their starters, particularly Sabally, who was just 1 of 10 on 3-point tries.

For New York, look for improved play from center Jonquel Jones and reserve power forward Emma Meesseman, who combined to score just nine points Sunday. Jones was the MVP of last year’s WNBA Finals; Meesseman was Finals MVP in 2019.

–Field Level Media