The Phoenix crowd would have been counting the days to this game. Ever since DeWanna Bonner was booed at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the fans will likely arrange a special welcome for the Indiana Fever side. While Kahleah Copper did not like the way Bonner was treated, most of the WNBA community agreed that the crowd’s reception was well warranted. Like Mercury coach Nate Tibbets said, “That’s how sports work, you go to a former home of yours when you don’t leave on your terms, and typically fans aren’t going to be happy.”
Bonner took those boos personally, as after a disappointing couple of games, she pulled up and dropped one of her best performances of the season. She scored 18 points and seven rebounds against the Sun, perfectly complementing Satou Sabally, who scored 23 points and six rebounds to lead them to a second consecutive win. After a couple of losses, they are getting their mojo back, but the Indiana Fever stand in their way once again, just waiting to crash their party.
The Fever are coming off a loss to their bogey team, the Los Angeles Sparks, who snapped their five-game winning streak. Kelsey Mitchell found her scoring shoes after a tough game against the Storm and returned with 34 points with six assists. However, their second-quarter slump proved too much for them to recover from. Indiana will be looking to bounce back against the team that lured their veteran away.
Phoenix Mercury vs Indiana Fever: Injury Report
Phoenix Mercury:
The Mercury have no names on the injury list. Their trio of Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, and Satou Sabally have played very few games together and are getting into their mojo after some injury issues early in the season.
Indiana Fever
While the Fever have only one player on the injury report, it is the most important one. Caitlin Clark remains out with her right groin injury. There is still no clarity on her injury timeline as White mentioned, “We’ve had updates (from the training staff), and her recovery is going well. You know, for us, it’s staying the course and making sure that we’re really diligent about each step that we take, and that we don’t have setbacks, and that we’re patient with it.”
via Imagn
The tentative return date, according to ESPN, is August 12.
Phoenix Mercury vs Indiana Fever: Where to Watch?
Time: 10:00 PM (ET)
Venue: Footprint Center, Phoenix.
Where to watch: Catch the action on WNBA League Pass and Amazon Prime.
Phoenix Mercury vs Indiana Fever: Predicted Starting Lineups
Phoenix Mercury
Monique Akoa Makani
Kahleah Copper
Sami Whitcomb
Alyssa Thomas
Satou Sabally
Indiana Fever
Aari McDonald
Kelsey Mitchell
Sophie Cunningham
Natasha Howard
Aliyah Boston
Phoenix Mercury vs Indiana Fever: match preview and prediction
This game is as closely stacked as they come. The Indiana Fever are now away from that nagging 0.500 record, being 17-13 after their longest streak in a decade. They are coming together to fight tooth and nail for the win in each game. Even in their last match-up, the game seemed lost in the third quarter.
Sophie Cunningham and Co. did not give up and went on a 21-5 run to cut their deficit to six points with 2:09 left in the fourth quarter. While it did not work out, it was a promising sign to a team that had been shaky before. Stephanie White pointed out that their defense was one of the reasons for the loss. However, their next opponents are defensively tough as well.
Aug 3, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) and forward Natasha Howard (6) celebrrate defeating the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Mercury are the fifth-best defense in the league with 100.4 points allowed per 100 possessions, while the Fever are ahead by a whisker with 100.1. The Mercury will look to exploit the glaring weakness in the Fever’s defense, which is their ability to defend in the paint. While they have scored only 34 points per game in that area, the Mercury should carry the blueprint from the Fever’s previous matchup, where they conceded almost half of the points from under the rim.
For the Fever, they should continue what they have been doing in the past few weeks. Apart from slight changes to cover defensive errors, the team has found a good rhythm. Their last game was likely an outlier. Looking at the stats, the Sparks shot at 56.1 from the field and a staggering 50% from beyond the arc. The White-coached side has beaten this Mercury side recently and will be looking to repeat that feat. The game can fall any team’s way, and it all depends on who shows up on the night.
The ESPN win predictor has the Mercury with an advantage, with a 51% chance to steal a victory at home. That is likely due to their 10-4 home record and the fact that Indiana is only 8-7 on the road. Realistically, it’s anyone’s game, which makes the match-up even more exciting, along with its under the layer storylines.
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