INDIANAPOLIS — Something was different about Indiana Fever top-overall pick Caitlin Clark in Friday night’s 95-86 home win over the Phoenix Mercury. Clark had her fifth straight point-assist double-double, so that was the consistent part. She also put up 13 assists for the third straight game. But the way she got that number was different. For starters, she had seven in the first quarter.
That’s the most in any quarter in Fever franchise history. Clark and teammate Kelsey Mitchell ran all over the place. The Indiana rookie threaded the needle, while her veteran teammate sprinted cut after cut. Clark only had two assists in the second quarter, but she made up for it with 10 points on four-of-five baskets. She even began the game with her 29-footer triple. She was different: more dynamic — more crisp.
In the past, fans watched to see if the Clark Show would come out. On Friday, she directed it.
“I thought we just came out and played really aggressive,” Clark said, about whether Friday felt more comfortable than normal as point guard. “I think that was kind of our mission from the jump is come out and attack. That’s what we did for three quarters.”
Fever head coach Christie Sides was asked an identical question about Clark’s performance.
“I don’t know if it’s more dynamic or— I think she just does what she does,” Sides said after the win. “She’s got the ability to draw several defenders and has got a crazy eye for her teammates and where they are and moving and able to make passes that some people— in the first half my gosh, she dropped two down to some post players. I don’t know who could’ve made that pass.”
Fever go back to normal lineup after disastrous loss
Perhaps there’s bias. The Fever scored their season-high 95 points over this bruised Phoenix team, which had two starters on the injury report and lost another midway through the second quarter. Rim protector Brittney Griner was the player to exit, which made it all the more easy for Clark to be fearless in attacking the hoop over and over— likely the most she ever has.
The Fever also went back to their normal starting lineup as of late. In Wednesday’s loss to the league-worst Washington Mystics, Sides opted for Clark, Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Katie Lou Samuelson at the 4 and Aliyah Boston. NaLyssa Smith, the typical 4, was replaced. After back-to-back days of questioning, Sides addressed the media Friday, citing it as “team matter.”
Smith was put in back as the 4, Samuelson slotted back into the 3, Lexie Hull came off the bench, and the Fever offense was revived back to the state when it beat the league’s-best New York Liberty last week. Phoenix did trail by 23 points going into the fourth quarter and got within four points around the three-minute mark. Phoenix Olympian Kahleah Copper scored 36 points.
Caitlin Clark is so eager to set up Fever teammates
Clark’s performance Friday can stretch in two directions. The first: that the reasoning behind the scarce assists in the second quarter was because the connection with teammates faded. And it was sort of the fault of both parties. The second: and the caveat— is that Clark set up her teammates so many other times that she likely should've reached 16 assists with more makes.
She’s gotten 13 in the past three games, three shy of tying the rookie single-game record.
“It’s so fun getting to pick apart the defense,” Clark said. “Especially when we get stops on defense and get to go in transition. I just get excited. Honestly, a lot of my turnovers, that’s where they come from. Just trying to play exciting basketball in transition… I feel like I can almost overpass because I wanna set them up so badly… it adds a whole other dimension.”
Exciting basketball was an understatement for Friday. The Fever — now 10-14 — won their final home game before the Olympic Break. They next play at the Minnesota Lynx Sunday.
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