Fever Coach Stephanie White Had Urgent Words on Friday Amid Playoff Push

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 8:03 PM ET

The Indiana Fever are on the road on Friday as they battle the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. This matchup carries significant weight as both teams continue to battle for a spot in the WNBA Playoffs.

Entering Friday’s clash, the Fever are sixth in the league with a 20-18 record. The Sparks, on the other hand, are 2.0 games behind Indiana at 17-19. L.A. is currently ninth in the WNBA and is fighting to secure one of the eight playoff spots available.

Fever Coach Stephanie White Sounds the Alarm

Indiana head coach Stephanie White spoke to reporters during shootaround on Friday morning. The veteran shot-caller discussed the Fever’s upcoming matchup against the Sparks amid the tight playoff race.

"We've got to take it one game at a time," White said. "We've got to be where our feet are. The most important game is the game that we're about to play, and that's the L.A. Sparks.

"For us, because of all the changes we've had, we've had to scale back and we've had to simplify on both ends of the floor. But more than anything, this group is a tough, competitive group. They're a resilient group. They've been through a lot. They bring it every single day, and that allows us to put ourselves in position to win."

Despite her team’s injury crisis, White remains confident in her players and their ability to come out on top, not only in Friday’s game, but beyond.

White, however, issued an urgent warning to her squad ahead of the final stretch of the season.

"Our margin for error has been slim all season long, and now it's virtually zero," she said. "So we got to come out and we got to play the best game that we can play."

Fever Have Tough Road Ahead

After Friday’s game against the Sparks, the Fever will have just five games remaining in the regular season. Three of those are against above .500 teams, including a matchup with the league-best Minnesota Lynx to close out the season on Sept. 9.

Indiana also has a rivalry showdown coming up against the Chicago Sky. They get to host Angel Reese and Co. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sept. 5.

The Fever are currently well-positioned to secure a playoff berth, but nothing is guaranteed at this point. As White implied in her statement above, now is not the time for her team to get complacent.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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