The first round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs continued on Tuesday night, featuring two hard-fought matchups.
The Indiana Fever staved off elimination by taking down the Atlanta Dream to force a decisive Game 3 in their series, while the Seattle Storm also tied their first-round series with the Las Vegas Aces following a comeback win.
Indiana Fever 77, Atlanta Dream 60
Seattle Storm 86, Las Vegas Aces 83
The Fever kept their season alive with a 17-point win over the Dream despite missing several key contributors heading into the contest.
Indiana led by six points after the first quarter and pushed its advantage to 11 early in the second, but Atlanta remained within striking distance by ending the first half on a 10-5 run.
The Dream cut the deficit to three points early in the third quarter, although the Fever ended up outscoring them 24-15 in the period to gain some more separation.
Indiana cruised to the win in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 24 points.
Kelsey Mitchell finished with a game-high 19 points for the Fever in just three quarters, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Aliyah Boston chipped in with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists while posting a 58.3 field-goal percentage.
Game 3 will decide the winner of the series on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Storm wrapped up a dramatic comeback victory over the Las Vegas Aces.
The Storm faced a 12-point deficit with just under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, as the Aces appeared to be on the verge of punching their ticket to the semifinals.
Seattle fought back and eventually took the lead after Dominique Malonga hit a layup while getting fouled with 31 seconds left in the game. After the Aces turned the ball over on their ensuing possession, Skylar Diggins sealed the win with a pull-up jumper.
Diggins led the way for the Storm with 26 points and seven assists on 50 percent shooting.
Nneka Ogwumike also scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, shooting 4-of-5 from three-point territory. Malonga recorded a double-double off the bench, pulling down 10 rebounds to go along with her 11 points.
A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young combined to finish with 46 points on 15-of-29 shooting for Las Vegas, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Seattle from coming back.
With the win, the Storm snapped the Aces’ 17-game win streak.
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