Caitlin Clark hits game winner to lift Fever versus Mystics, Likes and Dislikes

MY OFFICE, Ind. – The Indiana Fever had revenge on their mind as they took on the Washington Mystics in Commissioner's Cup action Monday night. The Mystics beat the Fever in overtime earlier this season, and it was a rough night getting stops for the Fever.

While Washington deserved credit for the way they played that night, Indiana beat themselves with missed foul shots and disconnected defense. A little bit of discipline would go a long way for the Fever on Monday night.

This game also marked the 1/4th mark of the season for the Fever. Likes and dislikes from Fever vs Mystics are below.

Circle City Spin

The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, up close

Circle City SpinTony East

DISLIKE: Early offense and tempo

Three minutes into the game, the Fever had just two points. They started 1/5 from the field and weren't generating good looks – and the game was being played at a slow pace.

The Mystics defense entered the night ranked 11th in the WNBA. That's decent, but certainly below average. The Fever needed to find some flow. Fortunately they were getting enough stops to stay in the game.

Caitlin Clark got the Fever out of their funk, first via a driving floater, then a three. But it took the team too long to get going, and they led by just two points after four minutes despite the Mystics having just one made shot in that stretch.

LIKE: Damiris Dantas, finding success

Damiris Dantas, playing for the first time since May 17, checked in with 6:04 on the clock in the first quarter. She shared the frontcourt with Myisha Hines-Allen as Stephanie White turned to her second unit.

Matchups and effectiveness have blended together in a way that has pushed Dantas down the depth chart. She's played behind Makayla Timpson, Hines-Allen, Aliyah Boston, and Monique Billings. In this instance, though, White turned to her for her shooting.

Dantas hit a three during one of her first possessions and was +2 when the Mystics took a timeout. It needed to sustain, obviously, but it was good news for the Fever that they shook up their rotation and saw results early.

LIKE: Caitlin Clark, heating up

After the Fever's slow start, Clark got rolling. She mixed in deep threes with layups, scoring 10 of the Fever's first 19 points of the game.

Along the way, she grabbed three of the team's first eight rebounds and added a steal. At the end of the first quarter, the star guard had 10 points, three rebounds, and one steal. She was +5, and the Fever were ahead by that much after 10 minutes.

After one quarter: Fever 21, Mystics 16.

LIKE: Mature, relentless play

The early part of the second quarter has typically been when the Fever stumble. Not this time. The Fever's defense was excellent to open the frame, and their offense came along with it.

Washington scored just four points in four minutes to open the period, making just one shot in that stretch. The Lexie Hull-Billings-Boston frontcourt was on a string and connected defensively – Tyasha Harris (playing for the first time since May) added a pesky element on that end of the floor.

On offense, many players were rolling. Kelsey Mitchell was igniting much of it. She hit a three to put the Fever up 13 at 33-20 and the Mystics took a timeout. The Fever weren't doing anything flashy, but they were playing effective basketball and building an edge. Their ball movement was sharp.

DISLIKE: Fouls

I mean, good lord. The Fever could not stop fouling (some calls better than others) late in the second quarter. Clark committed a foul on Sonia Citron on a layup. 10 seconds later, Alicia Florez was whistled for an infraction.

Boston had an offensive foul on the ensuing Fever possession. On their next trip, another offensive foul – this time from Hines-Allen. Not to be outdone, Michaela Onyenwere earned a whistle moments later.

Five fouls. 45 seconds. Yuck. Three of them were on the Fever, and Clark's foul was her third. The Fever, as a team, rank last in the league in fouls per game and must cut that number down.

Still, their strong start to the second quarter was the difference. Halftime score: Fever 43, Mystics 29.

LIKE: Defense and growth

The Fever held the Mystics to 32 points after 23 minutes of play. That would be a good defensive output against literally any team – the Fever were locked on on that end of the floor through that point in the game.

That number is especially impressive considering what happened when these teams met on May 15. With seven minutes left in the third quarter that night, the Mystics had 49 points. So it was a 17-point improvement for the Fever compared to their last game against the same opponent. That's good, though they still had some defensive warts.

DISLIKE: Jinx on that defense thing

The Mystics had 32 points with 6:41 on the clock in the third quarter. They had 46 at the 3:30 mark. So in just over three minutes, the hosts scored 14 points.

That's not good enough from a Fever group that was defending well for much of the game to that point. The lineup at the time for the Fever was Clark, Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham, Hines-Allen, and Dantas. It wasn't working. And fouls, once again, were an issue.

In the end, the Mystics scored 21 points in the final seven minutes of the third quarter. After three: Fever 60, Mystics 53.

LIKE: Lexie Hull to start the fourth quarter

The Fever had all of Harris, Dantas, and Hines-Allen on the floor to start the fourth quarter. They needed someone to step up to keep them in the game (on top of whatever start guard they had on the floor).

Hull was that player for the first few minutes of the frame, providing strong on-ball defense and hitting a few important shots. She had eight points at the time on 3/3 shooting.

DISLIKE: Defensive connection

After so much was going well for the Fever defensively early in the game, it was shocking to see what they turned into during the second half.

They lost shooters from beyond the arc and couldn't contain Georgia Amoore. Someone on the Mystics was wide open on almost every possession, and that helped the Mystics reach 50% shooting (8/16) from deep about halfway through the final quarter.

The Fever lead was as high as 17 in the second half. It was down to two with about four minutes to go. Boston's absence due to foul trouble loomed large.

LIKE: Aliyah Boston, sticking with it

Boston checked in with five minutes left in the game. The Fever needed her defense badly. Her first two shot attempts, though, were from about five feet out, and neither dropped despite the Fever needing points badly.

Boston was undeterred. She looked to score on the Fever's next two possessions and finished them both. That led to a Mystics timeout, and Boston blocked a shot on the team's first defensive possession after that stoppage. She kept her head up at a key time.

DISLIKE: Most of the Fever's final 2.5 minutes

The Fever were up six with 2:12 to go in the game. But three turnovers in the final 2.5 minutes (two from Mitchell, one from Clark) were killer. A layup from Cunningham was blocked, and Clark missed two late foul shots.

It was an absolutely dreadful final few minutes on offense for the Fever. And they got almost no stops along the way, losing the lead in the final minute after a 7-0 Mystics run.

LIKE: Star shit to get the lead back

The Fever lost the lead and were on defense before all three of their stars stepped up in one sequence.

Boston stole the ball from Shakira Austin. It fell to Clark, who flipped it ahead to a racing Mitchell. She hit a layup and put the Fever ahead 75-74 with 11.3 seconds to go. They needed one more stop.

DISLIKE: Timely mistakes

That one stop didn't come. The Mystics got the ball to Citron cutting down the lane, and Hull tried to beat her to the spot. But she was too late and committed another foul, leading to two more Washington free throws.

Citron hit both. White took a timeout with 4.3 to go. Her team had to score.

LIKE: Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark. What more is there to say? What a huge shot. You can't gamble there.

Clark's shot gave the Fever a lead, and they held on for the win. Their second half was ugly, but it was just enough.

The Fever reached the 1/4th of the season mark at 6-5 with the win. Final score: Fever 78, Mystics 76.

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