Kelsey Mitchell exits with cramping as Fever fall in Game 5


LAS VEGAS — Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell exited Tuesday’s Game 5 semifinals matchup against the Las Vegas Aces midway through the third quarter because of cramping before being ruled out.

Indiana battled back despite missing its star and trailing by as many as nine after her departure, forcing overtime before falling 107-98 in the playoff elimination game.

Fever coach Stephanie White said postgame that Mitchell, who finished fifth in MVP voting, experienced “a lot of lower-body cramping” and was transported to a hospital to receive fluids.

The 5-foot-8 guard appeared to suffer leg cramps after a foul was called on teammate Aliyah Boston. Mitchell grabbed her leg in apparent discomfort before reaching out to hold on to a referee. She lay on the floor, where she was tended to by team personnel and surrounded by teammates holding up towels to give her privacy.

A stretcher was brought onto the court, but Mitchell did not use it, instead leaving with assistance after approximately five minutes.

Mitchell was the Fever’s leading scorer this season, averaging 20.2 points in the regular season and 23.3 in the playoffs. She became the second player in league history to total 100 points over their first playoff semifinal appearance.

“She’s just had a phenomenal season,” said Aces star A’ja Wilson, the four-time league MVP. “I really hope the Indiana Fever take care of her. She’s a phenomenal person, and I hate seeing her go down.”

The scene was an eerily familiar one for the Fever, who had five players, including star guard Caitlin Clark, ruled out for the season because of injury. Indiana was also without Damiris Dantas for the playoffs because of a concussion.

“We already did it, like, six times already, so what’s the seventh time honestly?” forward Brianna Turner said. “I guess we were prepared for it.”

The team still managed to overcome those absences to snag the No. 6 seed, make its first semifinals since 2015 and take the two-time champion Aces to the brink on their home floor.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of experience in rallying around teammates,” White said. “This group is all heart, man, it’s just really hard to put into words. They’re just special.”

Not only were the Fever without Mitchell for the majority of the second half, but after they rallied to tie the score late in the fourth, Boston fouled out with 26.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Las Vegas’ Jackie Young hit two free throws to put the Aces back ahead, but Indiana responded with an Odyssey Sims bucket and a defensive stop to force overtime.

“That’s what Steph said in the huddle, ‘We’re built for this moment,’ when Kelsey went down and then when we were challenging the call on [Boston],” guard Lexie Hull said. “We’ve been here before, so it’s just so unlucky, so crazy, that that had to happen tonight.

“The Aces are a great team, and for us to be able to put out the performance we did tonight and send it to overtime, that’s something to be proud of.”



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