WNBA Today: Fever's Playoff Situation, Sky Sweep, Angel Reese's Punishment

The Fever needed to win against the Sky and for either the Sparks and Storm to lose so they can improve their playoff chances.

Not only did the Fever blow out the Sky 97-77, but both the Sparks and Storm lost, giving the Fever a clear path to the postseason.

Indiana improved to 22-20 on the season with their win against the Sky, which means they only need one more win to secure a playoff spot. They moved up to seventh in the standings, ahead of the Storm who dropped to eighth with a 22-21 record.

The Sparks, meanwhile, are two and a half games behind the Fever in the standings.

Indiana had Kelsey Mitchell to thank for the win, as she tallied 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Natasha Howard also deserves credit with her 18-point performance.

Angel Reese-Less Chicago Sky Fail to Win Even Once Against Indiana Fever

With their loss, the Sky finish the season with a 0-5 record against the Fever. Making the sweep even worse, Chicago had an average losing margin of 23.8 points against Indiana.

Angel Reese was suspended for the game after accumulating eight technical fouls on the season. Unfortunately for her, the call wasn't rescinded, so she had to sit out in accordance with the WNBA rules.

As a result, the Sky lost their usual edge, particularly in scoring and rebounding. It's worth noting that Reese leads Chicago in both departments with her 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game averages.

Kamilla Cardoso and Michaela Onyenwere led the scoring for Chicago in the loss, each scoring 18 points.

Chicago has a chance to bounce back when they play the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. However, it should be noted that the Sky won't play Reese in the first half of the contest as punishment for "statements detrimental to the team."

For those who missed it, Reese recently shared her belief that the Sky need to get good players in order to compete. She also questioned some of her teammates' abilities to lead the team.

Reese even went as far as to say that she will consider moving on if the team doesn’t commit to winning.

Atlanta Dream's Rise Continue, New York Liberty Set to Finish in Top 5

In the other games, the Dream blew out the Sparks as well, 104-85. L.A. had no answer for Rhyne Howard, who dropped 37 points on 13-of-26 shooting.

With the win, the Dream moved back to the No. 2 seed and are now guaranteed a top-four and a homecourt advantage at the start of the playoffs.

Dearica Hamby, Kelsey Plum and Rickea Jackson combined for 63 points for the Sparks, but no other players scored in double-digits. With the loss, they are now two games behind the eighth seed.

As for the Liberty, they sent the Storm falling to the No. 8 seed while improving their probability of finishing in the top five.

Breanna Stewart recorded 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and five blocks in a dominant performance to help New York take the 84-76 victory.

The Liberty are now one and a half games ahead of the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries, though they can still fall to sixth if they lose their last two games and Golden State win their remaining three contests.