Three assists into Sunday’s game at the Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark set the franchise rookie record with 129. Clark continued pushing toward 12 assists, and by game’s end, she was only one rebound shy of becoming the first rookie and Fever player ever to reach triple-double territory.
Picture that feat, as an announced 17,000-plus sold out crowd looked on.
What the crowd did get to witness was Clark’s signature 31-footer 3-pointer midway through the third quarter, accompanied with six assists in the frame. However, she was an inefficient 1-for-6 beyond the arc in the first half. The rest of the team were an even worse 0-for-6. Fellow starter Kelsey Mitchell was scoreless, playing one-fourth of the first-half minutes. Even Mitchell got benched.
But the six-year veteran went nuclear in the second half. It willed the Fever to the 88-82 win.
“Kelsey came back in the second half and just killed it,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said afterward. “She just hit some really big shots, played some good defense, hit that shot and executed that plan at the end… executed that perfectly… big time player made the big time shot.”
Sides was referencing the play drawn up for Mitchell out of the Fever timeout with 41 seconds remaining, trailing by one point. Mitchell curled on the wing, got the screen, and hit the jumper. About 40 seconds prior, and the Fever down two, Mitchell wisely didn’t settle for an open triple and stepped up into an and-1 jumper for the lead. The vet later iced the victory with free throws.
Mitchell shot 5-for-8 in the second half, scoring 16 points.
Indiana Fever undergo disastrous start
The Mercury began Sunday’s contest leading 14-2 four minutes in, which makes the Fever comeback even more impressive. Fever forward Aliyah Boston barely got any touches in that span, but Boston, Clark and backup forward Temi Fagbenle soon established an unbreakable connection in transition. Clark — hounded by Phoenix — forced way too many passes to begin.
“What [Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner] have been able to do, when you look back at their careers, I mean, it is amazing,” Boston said. “With Caitlin and I, we're definitely looking to be a great guard-post-duo. I think we’ve been able to get a better feel for each other over the course of these games. That’s definitely something we’re gonna build on.”
But the Fever trailed by 11 points heading into halftime. Sure, Mitchell’s shots weren’t finding the basket, but the team badly needed her creation and shot-making abilities. Sides later said that Mitchell’s demeanor didn’t change from getting taken out and sitting 15 minutes in the first half. Clearly, it didn’t jumble up the vet’s confidence. Clark kept passing, Mitchell kept burying triples.
What this comeback means for the Fever
This whole season so far has felt like an enormous comeback for the Fever. Zooming out, it’s an inexperienced team having to play 11 games in 20 days to open the season, going 2-9 in that span, yet winning five of the next seven, including Sunday. Zooming out, it’s Boston’s recent tear following her sophomore slump and Clark learning how to stay consistent game-by-game.
Zooming in, it’s Clark continuing to fire away in the third quarter, hitting another dagger triple, and keep passing. She shot 2-for-10 beyond the arc, yet Sides did mention she wasn’t feeling well the whole game due to her migraine and playing through it. It’s Mitchell not even playing half of the first half, yet hitting clutch shots. It’s also Fagbenle battling through injuries.
The list goes on and on. The Fever could’ve given up in the first quarter. Their four-game win streak at Chicago was snapped because they imploded. They got killed by the Seattle Storm last Thursday in their first showing since Chicago. They were taking haymakers Sunday too. Now this doesn’t solve the Fever’s obstacles. But it was their first win over teams .500 or better.
For rebuilding teams, they take wins where they can get them.
“No disrespect to the East Coast, but typically the West Coast has really amazing teams,” Mitchell said. “The best of the best… after today, we probably should forget about it, but it’s just small victories because we know how great they are… so for us it was a small victory and I think a momentum shift for us, especially with a lot of the work that we try to put in collectively.”
The Fever — now 8-12 — play at the Las Vegas Aces Tuesday to conclude the road trip.
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