ATLANTA — Makayla Timpson scored a career-high 20 points, including Indiana's first three field goals of overtime, and the Indiana Fever outlasted the Atlanta Dream 95-91 on Sunday to protect their hold on fourth place in the WNBA standings.
The rookie forward shot 9-of-13 from the floor, adding seven rebounds, and gave the Fever (23-12) the decisive push in a game that stayed tight until the final seconds of the extra period. Indiana came into the night holding the last home-court spot for the first round of the playoffs and needed every bit of Timpson's production to fend off Atlanta (21-13), even as Allisha Gray matched her career high with 32 points and nine assists.
Kelsey Mitchell converted a layup with 13.6 seconds left in overtime to reach 20 points and stretch her streak to 19 consecutive games with at least 20. Caitlin Clark finished with 26 points and nine assists, calmly sinking two free throws after Atlanta had closed to 93-91 with 10 seconds remaining. Aliyah Boston contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds.
The shorthanded Dream nearly stole the game in regulation. Mitchell's three-pointer with 1:05 on the clock tied it at 81-81, and Atlanta missed three looks on its final possession of the fourth quarter, including a would-be winner from Rhyne Howard and a point-blank attempt from Angel Reese, before the buzzer. Reese still finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, and Jaylen Sherrod made her first career start in her third WNBA season.
Indiana seemed in control when it led 36-27 in the second quarter, but Reese sparked a 17-4 Atlanta run that turned the game around, and the Dream took a 44-40 lead into halftime. Indiana's Sophie Cunningham, celebrating her 30th birthday, briefly put the Fever back in front at 78-77 late in the fourth. Atlanta was also without point guard Jordin Canada, ruled out before tip-off with an illness, and forward Brionna Jones, sidelined by a left leg injury with no timetable for return.
In overtime, the Dream grabbed an early 83-81 edge, only for Indiana to answer with eight straight points and never trail again. Mitchell, who had just five points in the first half, needed the extra session to keep her streak alive. The Fever visit Toronto on Tuesday; the Dream head to Las Vegas.
Sources
- CBS Sports – AP recap: https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/gametracker/recap/WNBA_20260816_IND@ATL/
- TSN – AP recap: https://www.tsn.ca/wnba/article/timpson-scores-career-high-20-points-and-shines-in-ot-as-fever-edge-dream/
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution: https://www.ajc.com/sports/2026/08/short-handed-dream-suffer-heartbreak-in-overtime-loss-to-fever/
