Ron Thulin, play-by-play broadcaster for the Dallas Wings, had just gotten things underway in the first quarter of the September 1 matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings.
Thulin, alongside Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, mentioned that they had spoken to the Dallas coaching staff about Kelsey Mitchell. They did not want her to "go off" at that point in the season.
Mitchell must have heard them, because she got things going with the first bucket of the game-- a floater down the lane off of a NaLyssa Smith feed. It would be far from the last time number 0 in red would have her number called.
It came at the perfect time in the season. Indiana was in the playoff hunt, looking to secure their spot in the bottom three seeds. Dallas was 9-22, a tough year for the Wings. But anytime Arike Ogunbowale is on the floor, the opposing team will have issues.
Mitchell would lead the trio of herself, Smith, and Caitlin Clark as the only three Fever players to score in the first quarter (8, 6, and 5 points, respectively). The second quarter was much of the same for Mitchell, finishing the half with a team-high 15 points.
The issue-- Ogunbowale was hitting just about every shot she took. She finished the half with 24 points, doing everything she could to spoil the Fever's playoff hopes. It was a shootout, and Mitchell was just getting started.
In the second half alone, Mitchell would shoot 75% from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. She was perfect from the field in the fourth quarter, only missing a lone free throw when the game was out of reach. Indiana would take it, 100-93, and Mitchell would finish with a season-high 36 points.
This win was crucial for the Fever. This win, plus losses from the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream, would be enough to clinch the Fever its first playoff appearance since 2016.
Mitchell could not have picked a better time to have her best game of the season.