Indiana Fever practice before WNBA playoffs Game 3
Here’s how it looked inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse as the Fever practice before hosting Game 3 on Friday.
Lexie Hull suffered a back injury in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals Sunday.Hull was a late addition to the injury report Tuesday, then was the Fever’s leading scorer in the loss. She missed part of Thursday’s practice.Game 3: Aces at Fever, 7:30 p.m. Friday
INDIANAPOLIS — Lexie Hull didn’t participate in the open portion of the Fever‘s practice Thursday for precautionary reasons, Fever coach Stephanie White said.
Hull was a late addition to Tuesday’s injury report for Game 2 of the playoff semifinal series in Las Vegas, designated as questionable with a back injury. She was stiff while warming up, but ended up playing 29 minutes and scoring 15 points on five 3-pointers in the 90-68 Fever loss.
“I’m feeling sore still, but I think just a lot of treatment, trying to get your bodies as ready as we can be,” Hull said following the game Tuesday. “Part of playoffs, I think, for everyone, it’s the end of the season, everyone’s a little fatigued, everyone’s a little sore, so just trying to go out there and do the best I can. I had a lot of treatment with our trainers. I’m really thankful for them for spending a lot of time with me today, a lot of time with me yesterday, getting me ready for tonight.”
Hull stood off to the side in the portion of practice open to media Thursday, wearing a heat therapy pad on her lower back and watching as the Fever did 5-on-0 drills. Aerial Powers and Shey Peddy switched off running with the first team in place of Hull.
But Hull is still good to go for Friday’s game, White said, barring any setback beforehand.
“She’s doing better, you know, today was just a precaution,” White said. “Didn’t want her to take any hits or move any kind of way that might aggravate it, and travel makes it difficult, certainly. But I anticipate her being ready unless there’s any sort of setback.”
White didn’t have an update on Damiris Dantas, though, so she is expected to miss her sixth straight game since suffering a concussion Sept. 11. The Fever have been going through the playoffs with 10 available players, counting Hull, because of injury and hardship rules.
The Fever have five players out for the season: Chloe Bibby (left knee), Caitlin Clark (right groin), Sydney Colson (left ACL), Sophie Cunningham (right MCL), and Aari McDonald (right foot). None of those players were included on the playoff roster, so they are ineligible to return for the rest of the postseason.
Dantas is on the playoff roster, so she is eligible to return whenever she gets through all the stages of concussion protocol. She was not at the portion of practice open to media on Thursday.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel and join Fever Insiders Live postgame.