Fever beat Valkyries for third-straight victory — Likes and Dislikes
Caitlin Clark was back in the lineup on Friday.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Fever were in action again Friday night, their fourth game in eight days. All of them were at home, but it's been a lot of high intensity court time for a team that has seen injuries dominate the headlines.
The team created more headlines with a pair of transactions the last two days, waiving guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and signing forward Grace VanSlooten. VanSlooten was cut by Seattle earlier this week, and the rookie joined the Fever on Friday.
With VanSlooten available and Clark back, the Fever had all 12 of their rostered players available. Likes and dislike from Fever-Valkyries:
LIKE: Caitlin Clark, playing great basketball
Clark looked free to open the game. Her rim pressure, transition vision, and deep shooting were all on display in the first two minutes upon returning.
The Fever led 7-0 less than two minutes into the game. Clark already had five points and one assist, scoring or setting up every Fever basket to that point. After a long three on a fast break, she clapped and pumped up the crowd as Golden State took a timeout.
Out of the stoppage, she worked hard for a stop in transition, which drew vocal praise from the crowd. It was a great start for the star guard.
DISLIKE: Injuries
Myisha Hines-Allen was struggling to move with about 3.5 minutes left in the first quarter. Her teammates were on the other end of the floor as she hovered around the Fever bench, hunched over with her arms down.
A Makayla Timpson rebound allowed the Fever to call a timeout and get Hines-Allen out of the game. She sat on the bench and chatted with the training staff for a few moments before Monique Billings came over to provide some encouragement. Hines-Allen then stood up and was helped to the back of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
She was reaching for the back of her left leg as she exited. Hines-Allen has settled into her role more in recent games, so it was a loss for the Fever frontcourt.
After one quarter: Fever 19, Valkyries 18.
(Hines-Allen returned to the bench in the second quarter, then later was back in the game)
DISLIKE: Early second quarter defense
The Fever entered Friday ranked eighth in second quarter net rating, their second-worst ranking of any quarter (the fourth quarter number is worse, but they've coasted to the end of a victory twice). They've struggled to start the second period on many occasions, and Friday was no different.
Golden State opened the frame on an 11-2 run. It took less than three minutes. The Fever's defense was rough, and they started the quarter 1/7 from the field (0/4 from deep).
Tony East
Their lead evaporated in the same stretch it typically does. It's a problem for the team to solve.
NO OPINION: Double techs
Clark was clearly fiery about the officiating to close the first half, showing emotion after a defensive foul called on herself, then later once another one was called on Kaitlyn Chen in Clark's favor. Golden State is a physical team with court-shrinking defense.
At the end of the first half, Janelle Salaun grabbed a rebound just before the final buzzer. Clark reached for it, then Salaun reacted and nearly elbowed Clark in the face while trying to hold on to the ball. The two players got close in response before several other Fever and Valkyries players joined the mini-scrum. Hines-Allen, in particular, made an effort to be an enforcer by hustling to the scene.
It ended quickly, then Salaun and Clark were issued double techs at halftime. The score at the break: Valkyries 44, Fever 37.
LIKE: Red Panda
The G.O.A.T. halftime performer. Need I say more?
Best eva https://t.co/ilLa01fFTG pic.twitter.com/SRz5VGHZ0D
— Tony East (@TonyREast) May 23, 2026
LIKE: Aggressive defense
The Fever moved their pickup points up higher in the second half and mixed in some traps, especially after they went small. That made life much harder on the Valkyries, who struggled to get good shots.
Golden State started the quarter 1/9 from the field and had a turnover when they called their first timeout of the half. In that same stretch, the Fever erased their entire deficit and tied the game at 48. Their defense led to uncomfortable play from Golden State.
LIKE: Caitlin Clark vs Tiffany Hayes
Nothing more fun than the game within the game. Clark hit a deep three to tie the game at 48, and the shot went right over Tiffany Hayes. Clark and Hayes exchanged words after the shot, which preceded a timeout from Golden State.
Hines-Allen, as she does, got in between the players. Out of the timeout, Hayes and Clark were battling. Hayes isolated against Clark on the next Valkyries possession before throwing a rocket of a pass to the right corner. Chen hit a three. A few trips later, Clark drove at Hayes and drew a foul, then hit the shot. And-one.
Those mini battles between competitors change the dynamic of a game. This one certainly did, especially with the score so close in the middle of the third quarter.
LIKE: Aliyah Boston with power
The best version of Boston, especially when she's hitting threes like she has of late, is the version that hits people in the paint and finishes with force. Boston was doing both of those things to close the third quarter.
She was crushing the glass, too. Boston had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds through three frames, and her play along with second-unit players helped the team extend their lead.
After three quarters: Fever 66, Valkyries 61.
LIKE: Raven Johnson, minus one play
With less than 10 seconds left in the third quarter and with the Valkyries in the bonus, Raven Johnson committed a foul 90 feet from the basket. That's as bad as a foul can be. But outside of that play, Johnson was terrific for much of her second-half minutes.
Early in the fourth quarter, Johnson was 2/2 from the field with five points and two assists in the second half. Her defense, as usual, was pesky. At the time, the Fever were +9 with her on the court in the half. She was a major factor in the team's turnaround.
LIKE: Small ball
A Clark-Kelsey Mitchell-Lexie Hull-Sophie Cunningham-Boston lineup got time together in the fourth quarter, and it went very well. Head coach Stephanie White prefers bigger groups that can hit the glass, but small ball works well for the Fever when they can get away with it.
In this game, they could. And Cunningham, in particular, was taking advantage by getting open often. The Fever were up 10 with 3:44 to go thanks to that group.
This lineup effectively ended up closing the game, minus a few strategic one possession subs. There were some dramatics late, including a flagrant one on a Clark screen, but the Fever kept their edge and defended well in the final minute. It was never a one-possession game in the fourth quarter.
Final score: Fever 90, Valkyries 82. The Fever have won three times in a row and are 4-2.
Thank you for reading. A few days off for the Fever before their next game. Keep your eyes peeled for Fever and Pacers stories on this website. And sign up to have them all emailed directly to you — no need for social media or AI summaries.
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