For three quarters, the Indiana Fever looked like a team hitting its stride. For the final four minutes, they looked like a team having a nervous breakdown. In the end, they walked off the court with their fifth consecutive win, but the celebration was muted by the deafening sound of alarm bells. In a heart-stopping 94-91 victory over the Seattle Storm, the Fever, playing without their foundational star Caitlin Clark, showcased both their resilience and their most terrifying flaws in a performance that has fans more worried than relieved.

This was a game Indiana was supposed to control, and for a while, they did. They entered the fourth quarter with a comfortable 12-point lead, built on the back of sharp execution and spectacular individual performances. Natasha Howard was a force in the paint, cutting and finishing with impressive efficiency on her way to 21 points. Sophie Cunningham, affectionately dubbed “the blonde bomber,” continued her scorching hot streak, pouring in 17 points and shooting a blistering 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Fever were playing fast, confident basketball, looking every bit the part of a team learning to win without their superstar.

Then, the floor fell out from under them. In a stunning turn of events, the offense stalled, the defense evaporated, and the Storm ripped off an 11-0 run. What was once a comfortable lead dwindled to a single, terrifying point. Passes became sloppy, shots clanked off the rim, and a poised professional team suddenly looked panicked and lost. The Storm, a team not known for its offensive firepower, was gifted open look after open look, missing several potential game-tying three-pointers in the final moments that would have sealed a disastrous collapse for the Fever.

The near-disaster has put a harsh spotlight on the team’s inconsistencies and, most notably, on the late-game management of head coach Stephanie White. Fans were left screaming at their televisions as the team abandoned the fast-paced play that built the lead, instead slowing to a methodical crawl that allowed Seattle to chip away at the deficit. It’s a recurring nightmare for the Fever faithful, who have seen comfortable fourth-quarter leads evaporate time and time again under White’s watch, raising serious questions about her ability to make crucial adjustments under pressure.

While the coaching decisions left fans infuriated, the victory was ultimately salvaged by two heroic performances. Aaliyah Boston was an absolute monster when it mattered most, taking over the fourth quarter and winning her matchup decisively against Seattle’s veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike. Boston finished with a dominant 16 points and 12 rebounds, providing the steadying presence her team desperately needed as chaos erupted around her. Alongside her, Sophie Cunningham has proven to be the team’s most reliable secondary weapon in Clark’s absence, consistently delivering clutch shots and proving she can handle an expanded role.

However, for every hero, there was a worrying sign of weakness. Kelsey Mitchell, a vital scoring option, had a nightmarish game, shooting a dismal 3-for-16 from the field and an ice-cold 0-for-8 from three-point range. Her up-and-down performances have become a source of major anxiety, as the team cannot afford to have its secondary star disappear, especially in close games. Furthermore, the bench provided next to no offensive support, highlighting a concerning lack of depth.

This win, while keeping the Fever firmly in the playoff picture and securing a crucial tiebreaker over the Storm, feels like a pyrrhic victory. It proves that the team has the talent to win games without Caitlin Clark, but it also demonstrates in terrifying clarity how much they need her leadership and closing ability. The poise, the killer instinct, and the steady hand that calms a team down in the final minutes—all were missing. They were lucky to escape with a win against a struggling Storm team. They will not be so lucky against the league’s elite. As they head into a tough matchup against an LA Sparks team that has already beaten them twice this season, this heart-attack win serves as both a testament to their grit and a dire warning of the disaster that awaits if they don’t fix their fatal fourth-quarter flaws.