The Indiana Fever suffered their first loss since Caitlin Clark's return from injury against the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday night. While Clark struggled from the floor in the defeat, Kelsey Mitchell blamed the team's lack of intensity for the result.

Mitchell pointed to the Valkyries' edge in forcing turnovers and obtaining loose balls for the loss. The two-time All-Star said Golden State was the “stronger” and “tougher” team, which the Fever allowed.

“We were soft,” Mitchell said during her post-game media availability. “They made us pay by just being stronger, being tougher. Fifty-fifty balls, deflections, getting into passing lanes — that's just a piece of being aggressive… I think we allowed it and kind of tucked our tail a little bit on the aggression side. That's our downplay right now.”

The Fever committed 16 turnovers in the loss. Ten of those were forced on steals from the Valkyries. Golden State also out-hustled Indiana on the glass, winning the offensive rebound battle eight to five.

The Fever played the game without head coach Stephanie White, who did not travel with the team for personal reasons. White did not give a specific reason for her absence, but celebrated her 48th birthday on Friday. Assistant coach Austin Kelly took over for the contest and was significantly out-matched by Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase.

The loss ended a mini two-game win streak, which the Fever began once Clark returned from her five-game absence. Their recent hot stretch included a 102-88 win over the New York Liberty, handing the defending champions their first loss of the year.

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Fever look to bounce back from Valkyries loss against Aces

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles against Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes (15) during the third quarter at Chase Center.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Fever will have two days to recoup before taking center stage on national television. Indiana's West Coast road trip continues on Sunday afternoon against the Las Vegas Aces. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN+, and Disney+.

The Aces are just 1-4 in their last five games and are currently without two-time MVP A'ja Wilson, who missed the last three games with a concussion. Wilson has always been elite but managed to step up another level in 2025 and leads the team in every major statistical category. While her scoring numbers are down significantly from 2024, Wilson is averaging career-highs with 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.

Indiana gets two days of rest before the matchup, but the Aces face the Seattle Storm on Friday night before turning their attention to the Fever. Las Vegas swept the series 4-0 in 2024, winning by an average of 13.3 points.