Fever finish strong in Dallas, now above .500 and on a roll
Fever finish strong in Dallas, now above .500 and on a roll
The Fever (17-16) are streaking, getting incredible production from their backcourt duo of Clark and Mitchell, and now return home to Indy for their next six games.
The Indiana Fever are the hottest team in the WNBA.
Yes, the same group that started the season 1-8 during their grueling schedule is now peaking at the right time. They’re 6-1 since the Olympic break, including four straight wins. Now it’s not just notable that they are winning, but how they’re getting it done.
The latest example came Sunday at College Park Center in Dallas. The Fever trailed after the first, second and third quarters, but were ahead when it mattered most. They used a big fourth quarter (30-19) to move in front and keep the lead for good.
They closed the game on a 13-4 run over the final four minutes.
The Fever (17-16) are now above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2016.
Yes, you read that correctly. Nine seasons ago.
Their 100-93 win was also sweet revenge on their dud of a performance in their final game before the All-Star break. In that one, they Caitlin Clark dished out a WNBA record 19 assists and they led most of the game — but coughed it up in a 101-93 loss.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 34 points on Sunday to lead the Wings, highlighted by her sinking five of her nine 3-pointers in the first quarter.
The Fever backcourt of Clark (28 points, 12 assists) and Kelsey Mitchell (36 points) — who extended her franchise record of seven straight games with at least 20 points — combined for 64 of their 100 points.
“I think our pace is setting us apart from a lot of different teams,” Mitchell said, “because we like to get the ball up and down the court at such a high pace. And I think the way that we play, it just makes our games thrive even more, I think, in a way.”
It’s not exactly a surprise, by the way. They’re the top two scorers of all-time in the Big Ten, Clark being No. 1 in the nation and Mitchell ranks fourth.
Added Clark: “Just playing fast, playing off one another. I think that's probably the biggest thing. And when you have two guards that are both making plays, it puts the other team in a tough position of what to take away, who to put on who.
“So I feel like we're definitely shooting it well, we're playing off each other well, we're looking for each other, and we're getting downhill, too. So I think it's been a good balance of everything.”
The Fever shot 53% from the field, including 11 of 22 from distance. And they’ve reached the century mark in back-to-back games.
Clark, Mitchell, and Sides answered questions from media in Dallas after the win. Watch the full press conference below.
Clark is seemingly setting a new record in each game and in this one, it was a franchise record for most points in a season by a rookie. She passed Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings on Sunday. (Clark has 617 this season.)
“It's obviously cool,” said Clark, not one to get caught up in individual records. “But at the same time, I feel like we play basketball the right way and that's just what kind of comes along with it. And it's fun. We've been winning. That's what makes all of this so much better.
“I feel like we're just playing such better basketball than we were even a month ago, before the break. It just feels like our chemistry is better. It just feels like everything flows a little bit better. It just feels better.
“I think as a basketball player, that's something you can feel when you're out there. The flow just seems really good.”
Catchings on Twitter ( I was the one who convinced her to join in the first place more than a decade ago, by the way): “TEAM is stepping up and that’s what makes great players great. Caitlin Clark makes the players around her better. The overall numbers since the Olympic break have been insane! LETTTSSSSS GOOOO #FeverBeliever”
Mitchell is playing the best basketball of his pro career, and now she’s got the wins to go along with it. As the team's pick at No. 2 in the 2018 WNBA Draft, she’s been to the bottom and experienced all these losses.
And she’s never reached the postseason.
They won 18 games combined over the last two seasons. With seven games left, they already have 17 wins this season. Her elevated play, along with the addition of Clark, is a big reason why.
“I've always been a hooper, man,” said Mitchell. “For me, it's about finding rhythm and staying confident in that rhythm and utilizing our pace to kind of find my spots to get what I want.”
It hasn’t just been these two. It’s Aliyah Boston’s defense, Lexie Hull’s whatever-the-team-needs mentality, Temi Fagbenle’s leadership and experience, etc. And forward Katie Lou Samuelson returned Sunday after sitting out the last two and half games due to illness.
“These guys are just growing together, building confidence in each other, building confidence on the defensive end,” head coach Christie Sides said after the win.
“We just keep talking about momentum, keeping our foot on the gas, keep doing what's working and just keep making it about us. I feel like they're just doing a great job of that.”
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was courtside for the game at College Park Center in Dallas, which was a sellout (6,251).
This has been a busy stretch for the Fever with five games in nine days and four games over the last week, including three in a row. They handled their business well and now return home with seven games left in the regular season. And the next six — yes, six — are at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
They won’t leave town for 16 consecutive days; that’s the league making up for their inhumane schedule to start.
“All that travel we did early, I think that prepared us,” Sides said. “We kind of knew what was coming. I think everybody else is going through that. A lot of other teams are going through that travel right now. And we get to get on that charter plane and get home.
“And they've earned every minute of the day off (Monday) that they're going to get.”