Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull looked to help the Indiana Fever keep their winning streak alive on Sunday, traveling to State Farm Arena to face Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream. The Fever entered Sunday's game with a 22-12 record, most recently taking down the Dallas Wings on Friday night.
Cunningham and Hull have been huge pieces for Indiana during 2026 as the two guards look to get back to the playoffs. Entering the Dream matchup, Cunningham was averaging 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 33 games played, including 30 off the bench, while Hull has tallied 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 34 appearances, with 31 starts.
However, during the game in Atlanta, Fever coach Stephanie White opted to use a three-guard lineup in the second quarter, marking the second straight game Indiana has done so.
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With Hull already sitting, the Fever elected to sub out Cunningham with 3:44 remaining in the second, replacing her with rookie guard Raven Johnson. The lineup left both Cunningham and Hull on the bench, which is unusual for Indiana, instead running with guards Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Johnson, with Aliyah Boston and Monique Billings, later replaced by Makayla Timpson, in the frontcourt.
And without Cunningham and Hull on the court, the Dream went on a 13-5 run to take the lead before Cunningham checked back in with 26 seconds left in the first half.
The Fever also ran a similar lineup in the fourth quarter of Friday's win against Dallas, sitting both guards after Hull was called out with 7:50 remaining. That lineup for Indiana featured guard Ty Harris over Johnson, and lasted over seven minutes before Hull checked back in.
"Second straight game the Fever have gone to a three-guard lineup instead of Hull or Cunningham," Forbes' Tony East wrote on X.
Up next for the Fever, a battle against the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
