• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Sun-Fever Preview

Aug 31, 2015 - 8:23 PM The Indiana Fever appear to be hitting a late-season slump, though they're still very much in position to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Connecticut Sun are in a far more desperate situation as they again try to avoid missing the postseason.

Indiana looks to avoid losing a season-high fourth straight loss Tuesday night against the visiting Sun.

The Fever (17-12) put together a season-best six-game winning streak, but then dropped three in a row for the first time since opening 0-3. They're still just one half-game behind second-place Chicago, but the Sky hold the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the four-game season series.

Tamika Catchings had 22 points and 13 rebounds Sunday at Tulsa, but it wasn't enough to overcome 30 points by Odyssey Sims in a 76-70 defeat. Catchings, who recorded her second double-double in three games, was 7 of 10 from the field, but Indiana's four other starters went 13 for 41 and the team shot 38.6 percent.

The Fever were also hurt by free throws, with Tulsa going 17 of 19 from the charity stripe. Giving Connecticut a high amount of opportunities might not prove as costly, though, as the Sun's 73.8 free-throw percentage is the WNBA's worst.

Connecticut (13-17) is on the brink of missing the playoffs for a third straight year for the first time in club history. With four games remaining, the Sun are four games behind fourth-place Washington (16-12). Because Washington leads the season series 3-1, Connecticut is one Mystics victory away from being eliminated from playoff contention.

The Sun staved off elimination Sunday, snapping a seven-game losing streak behind Kelsey Bone's 25 points in a 72-68 victory at Chicago. Bone has scored 47 points in her last two games after previously averaging 14.0 on the season.

Indiana is seeking a season series sweep and sixth straight home victory in the series. Catchings scored 26 points on 9-of-10 shooting in a 92-84 win at Connecticut on June 30.

Bone is averaging 18.3 points on 58.5 percent shooting in the season series.

The Fever lead the league with a 37.0 3-point percentage, while the Sun let opponents shoot 34.8 percent to rank 11th.