Caitlin Clark's career night leads Fever to comeback win over Storm: Likes and Dislikes
Clark had 45 points AND 10 assists. No, really!
INDIANAPOLIS – It was storming in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, literally, as the Fever hosted Seattle. Outside, it was pouring rain about three hours before tipoff. Inside, the Fever were battling the Storm.
Indiana beat Seattle back in May, but the Storm have improved as a team since then. They're no pushover despite a 6-20 record. And the Fever were fighting an uphill battle with Aliyah Boston out thanks to a lower leg injury.
The Fever were hoping to bounce back after a loss on Wednesday night. Chronological Likes and Dislikes from Fever-Storm below.
Tony East
LIKE: The open floor and style
The up-tempo Fever are good. The Fever that make you hurt your neck turning your head because they get from end to end in seconds are fantastic. And early, they played like the latter.
Caitlin Clark was cruising in the open floor, tossing two excellent passes for assists in the first few minutes. She drilled a three and took the ball to the cup for points – she scored or assisted on 11 of the team's first 19 points.
It was a dreamy start for Clark. Lexie Hull also played a big role. She had two steals in the first few minutes for the Fever, getting them into transition often.
Just over five minutes into the game, the Fever already had 19 points. They had five steals, and five of their seven makes were assisted. That's the style the Fever display at their best.
LIKE: Kelsey Mitchell taking over early
Good lord.
Kelsey Mitchell made as many three-point shots (two) as the entire Storm team in the first quarter. She drilled seven shots in total, nearly equal to Seattle's nine. Mitchell was unguardable.
She finished the frame with 17 points – on pace for 68 in total – two shots from deep and five from inside the arc. The Storm could not guard her in the slightest.
Clark gave her a huge high five on the bench after the quarter ended. It was 37-26 at the time – a fantastic start for both the Fever and Mitchell.
LIKE: Caitlin Clark, drawing fouls
Clark was aggressive to open the second quarter with Mitchell on the bench, and she had no problem keeping the Fever's scoring attack rolling at an extreme level.
Clark flew around a screen to attempt a three and drew a foul on ex-Fever wing Katie Lou Samuelson. Soon after, she darted to the cup for a layup and drew contact, setting up two more foul shots.
Two trips later, another three-point shot. Clark had already attempted, and made, seven foul shots at that point (career high is 15) and had 15 points. The Fever were absolutely rolling on offense thanks to their star guards and had 49 points after 12.5 minutes.
DISLIKE: Fever's defense, again
A shocker: The Fever's below-average defense was... below average, again. Especially without Boston.
While the Fever kept scoring and had 55 points on the jumbotron with 3.5 minutes until halftime, the Storm had 48 themselves and were hanging around with too much ease. They were shooting nearly 60% deep into the second quarter.
Yes, the Fever were still winning. But they had to defend better at some point. Yet they never did in wrapping up the first half. Even with 59 points through 20 minutes, the Fever's lead was just three at halftime at 59-56.
DISLIKE: Awa Fam, holy smokes
This dislike is for the Fever more than fans of basketball. Watching Awa Fam is delightful, but the Fever were certainly not enjoying her third-quarter heater.
Fam hit three outside shots in 1:37 during the third quarter. At her size, it's basically an unguardable shot – and that's not to mention her terrific defense. Fam was changing the game in the third and cut the Fever's lead down to one.
DISLIKE: The defense in the late third quarter
Is it lazy to use defense as a dislike twice? Nope, because the Fever's lazy defense earned it.
Seattle scored 88 points throughout three quarters. They put 32 on the scoreboard in the third period, shooting 13/15 in the frame and hitting four outside shots. Without turnovers, things would have looked even worse.
Mitchell and Clark were each scoring well, combining for 55 points to that point. And yet, the Fever were down six heading into winning time at 88-82 because they couldn't guard at all.
DISLIKE: Can't get the big one
Four times early in the fourth quarter, the Fever attempted a good look or free throw that would have reduced their deficit to one possession. Only one of the four went in – a Monique Billings layup.
The Fever could not get back into the game. They were down between four and eight for much of the early fourth quarter and running out of time. It was 94-86 Storm with 6:34 to go as head coach Stephanie White took a timeout.
LIKE: Clark's memorable night
Clark's scoring generally stood out more than any one play. And in the fourth quarter, she reached 33 points. That's a season high. At that time, she had gotten to the foul line 15 times. That, too, was a season high. Clark had a chance at career highs in both numbers.
With about 3.5 minutes to go, Clark hit a layup to reach 35 points, matching her career-best mark. And about one minute later, a three to reach 38. A new best-ever scoring game for Clark. And yet, still work to do for the Fever.
DISLIKE: Records, again
The Storm scored over 100 points, meaning the Fever have now allowed nine opponents to reach triple digits this season. That ties the WNBA all-time record for one season. Yet with 1:11 to go, Billings hit a layup to tie the game at 102 and give the Fever a chance to win.
LIKE: Clark heroics
The Fever turned the ball over with about one minute to go in a tie game. Then, a masterful Clark sequence.
She raced back in transition and thwarted a Flau'jae Johnson layup, sending the ball out of bounds off of Johnson. It was an incredible stop. Then, on the offensive end, she drilled a three to give the Fever a lead – and give herself 41 points. It was Clark's first-ever 40-point game in the WNBA.
Clark continued to carry the Fever down the stretch. The passing and free throws guided her team's offense down the stretch as she finished with a masterful 45 points and 10 assists. And behind their star, the Fever came back and won 110-107. They improved to 15-10.
Thank you for reading. The Fever play again in under 24 hours against the New York Liberty, so sign up to have that game story sent straight to your email inbox as well.
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