Choppy start, bad discipline, and missed FTs: Recapping the Fever's 91-90 loss to Dream
Indiana trailed nearly the entire way, rallied from 14 down, and had two chances to win in the final seconds — but sluggish starts, missed free throws, and limited support beyond the stars were costly
The Indiana Fever won’t be going undefeated this season.
Kelsey Mitchell scored the first bucket off the tip, but the Fever trailed for the majority of the game and by as many as 14 points in a 91-90 loss to the Atlanta Dream Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
They got off to a poor start and trailed by eight points after the first quarter. The game lacked any kind of rhythm and flow in the first half, which favored the Dream. There were 13 foul calls in the first 11 minutes — and the teams shot a combined 58 free throws. That led to it being a half-court game and didn’t allow for the Fever to push the pace.
The Dream opened the second half on an 11-0 run, setting the Fever back further. And yet, they had enough to get back in the game.
Caitlin Clark, who led all with 27 points and 11 assists, nailed back-to-back 3s early in the fourth quarter. That woke up a crowd that didn’t have much to cheer about before then.
Aliyah Boston played hard all game and finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
It was the Fever’s three foundational pieces — Clark, Boston, and Kelsey Michell (24 points) — combining for 75 of 90 points. All three made key layups in the final two minutes.
Natasha Howard missed all four of her free throws late, and Boston went 1 of 2 at the line with 21.7 seconds left. The Fever were 16 of 26 at the line as a group.
The other Howard, Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, sank two free throws to put the Dream back in front for good.
The Fever had the final possession and with the Dream all over Boston, Clark fired the inbounds pass to Howard, who missed two opportunities in the final seven seconds.
Being outscored 31-23 to start the game didn't help, and then 11-0 to begin the second half was costly. The Fever are now 1-1 and will play in Atlanta on Thursday, their second of three games over five days.
Watch my recap below — with comments from Clark, Mitchell, and head coach Stephanie White.
Other Notes
Guard Sophie Cunningham missed her second straight game due to a right ankle sprain. I spoke with her at shootaround about it on Tuesday.
There were three successful coach’s challenges in the first half.
Brittney Griner (21 points, eight rebounds) fouled out with 21.7 seconds left.
It was not a sellout, officially 16,269.
In the Stands: Bubba Watson, Kyle Larson, and Katie Douglas.