After an exciting end to the 2025 WNBA regular season, the Indiana Fever have secured the No. 6 seed and will face a familiar foe in the first round of the playoffs: the Atlanta Dream, who earned the No. 3 seed. Indiana finished the regular season with a 24-20 record.
How Indiana Got Here
Towards the end of the season, the Fever were watching other games closely, hoping for favorable results that would better their seeding. Their chances improved significantly when the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Golden State Valkyries. That win bumped Indiana into the 6 seed.
At the same time, Las Vegas beat the Los Angeles Sparks, which allowed the Aces to finish at No. 2 in the standings. That result solidified parts of the playoff picture, including who Indiana will play.
Matchup: Indy vs. Atlanta
By finishing 6th, the Fever are matched up against the No. 3 Atlanta Dream in the first round. Atlanta edged out Indiana in seeding thanks to having a slightly better regular season record.
This will be a best-of-three series. The format for the first round in 2025 has changed slightly from previous seasons. Rather than the higher seed hosting two of the first two games, the format is now 1-1-1:
Game 1 at the higher seed
Game 2 at the lower seed
Game 3 (if necessary) back at the higher seed
Since Atlanta is the higher seed, they will host Games 1 and 3, with Indiana hosting Game 2.
First Round Schedule for Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream
Here are the dates, locations, and times for the first‐round series between Indiana and Atlanta:
Game Date Location Time (ET)
Game 1 Sunday, September 14 @ Atlanta 3:00 p.m.
Game 2 Tuesday, September 16 @ Indiana 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 (if needed) Thursday, September 18 @ Atlanta TBD
What’s At Stake
Home court advantage: As the higher seed, Atlanta gets two home games if the series goes to three. Indiana will have to defend their home court in Game 2 and then win an away game in Game 3 if it’s necessary.
Injury updates and player availability could matter. Indiana, for example, has had to deal with key injuries this season.
Momentum and consistency will be key. The Fever, despite injuries and adversity, fought to get into the postseason again this being their second straight playoff appearance.
Looking Ahead
If Indiana can get past Atlanta, the next round (the semifinals) is best‐of‐five. From there, if they make the Finals, the league is employing a best-of-seven series for the first time in Finals history.
The Fever have earned their spot, and the first round looms large. Game 1 kicks off this Sunday, September 14, so get ready. Will Indiana pull off the upset? Stay tuned.