Fever defense stumbles again in loss to Mercury, Likes and Dislikes
The Fever and Mercury were following up an emotional battle.
INDIANAPOLIS – Welcome back to Fever coverage at Circle City Spin. Did I miss anything across the last two games?
The answer: Yes, clearly. A dramatic second-half mess against the Atlanta Dream over the weekend, followed by a more dramatic turnaround in the positive direction on Monday against the Phoenix Mercury. That game had quite a few extracurriculars, and those two teams battled again on Wednesday.
Emotions, energy, and the Fever's offensive execution were going to be keys for Indiana in this one. Likes and dislikes from Fever vs Mercury, round two.
Tony East
LIKE: Kelsey Mitchell off-ball movement
The Fever's first two baskets looked completely different but came from the same pairing. They were both from Kelsey Mitchell, and they both came as a result of off-ball movement.
On the first one, the Mercury sent several players to the left side of the floor to slow a Caitlin Clark pick-and-roll with Aliyah Boston. As Boston caught the ball after rolling, she looked toward the rim and saw defenders. Someone had to be open, and it was Mitchell sliding to the right. She was open for a three, and Boston found her.
Two possessions later, Boston caught the ball at the top of the key and faced up. She surveyed, then fired a slick pass to a cutting Mitchell. Two Boston dimes and two Mitchell cuts got things going for the Fever early.
LIKE: A completely different start
After scoring three points in the first 9:58 and six in the first quarter on Monday, the Fever came out firing against the Mercury two days later. Mitchell, of course, was a big part of it. She had eight points in about four minutes to start the game.
Caitlin Clark was even better, hitting multiple threes and continuing her heightened volume of drives. She had 11 points after less than five minutes. Mitchell and Clark combined for 19 points in the first five minutes — Phoenix had 14 as a team at the time.
Those two finished the first quarter with a combined 23 points. The Fever offense was humming, but their defense was decidedly not. It was 35-29 Fever after one quarter.
DISLIKE: Guarding your yard
As good as the Fever's offense was early in the game, they had some defensive issues preventing them from breaking their lead wide open. In fact, even as the Fever were shooting 60% from the field 13.5 minutes into the game, their lead was just three at 41-38.
Phoenix had 16 points in the paint at the time (the Fever had more, but both numbers were high). They also had six made free throws. Many of the Mercury's jump shots came after paint pressure.
Many of Fever's defensive concerns could be traced back to their inability to contain attackers on the perimeter or the elbows. They needed to tighten up and rotate better behind the play.
Indiana wasn't able to improve deeper into the second quarter. They lost their lead with 4:34 to go in the frame when Phoenix jumped ahead 46-44.
LIKE: A composed close to the half
The Fever stopped moving the ball during the middle of the second period, and it hurt their offense. At their worst, the Fever fall into bad, and stagnant, habits.
Yet despite trailing by three with 90 seconds left in the second quarter, the Fever went on an important run for momentum purposes to close the first half. They scored five points in 35 seconds while holding Phoenix scoreless.
It was just a 5-0 run. But they needed some energy going into halftime and got it. It was 55-53 in favor of the Fever at the break.
LIKE: Aliyah Boston, patient and powerful
Boston reached 14 points early in the second half, and her outing to that point had featured a bit of everything.
In the first half, it was the aforementioned passing. Throughout the second quarter and then again early in the third, Boston was powerful and patient as she finished in the post.
She bumped defenders out of her way or took her time to find angles. Of her first 14 points, 12 of them came on two-point shots near the basket. The other two were at the foul line.
The Fever's star guards were rolling early. Boston kept them going in the second.
DISLIKE: Injuries
Caitlin Clark left the game with an injury during the third quarter and wasn't on the bench to close the frame. That was a sign that she was getting looked at or treated in some way.
At 9:09 p.m. the Fever announced that Clark had a back issue and would miss the rest of the game. She also took a fist to the neck earlier in the game. That was, of course, a big hit for the Fever's offense the rest of the night. They were slightly ahead at 85-82 after three quarters.
DISLIKE: Struggling to contain Alyssa Thomas
Alyssa Thomas is strong and tough to cover. Any team that figures out how to limit her every night would be the first to do so. And in this game, her powerful ways were given the Fever fits.
Just over halfway through the fourth quarter, Thomas made several big plays in a row for the Mercury. An assist here, a bucket there, and some key defensive stops. The Fever's offense was still mostly rocking, but Thomas kept Phoenix in the lead.
With 4:22 to go, the Mercury star had 20 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. If she kept rolling down the stretch, the Fever were going to have little chance to win.
DISLIKE AND LIKE: Reviewing threes
Aliyah Boston hit a three, but it was initially ruled a two. Minutes later, the officials talked it over and changed it to a three.
With 2:30 to go, Raven Johnson drilled a jump shot from the corner. It was ruled a two, then reviewed... and stuck as a two. It was close. Reviews stopping a close game late are never fun, even if these two netted the Fever plus one point. The Fever are a rhythm team and lost some with the stoppages, even if it did help them – and, most importantly, it made the score correct.
DISLIKE: Poor defense and execution
The Mercury had 98 points with just under four minutes left in the game. Three minutes later, they had 109. Scoring 11 points that quickly should rarely happen, and hardly ever in a tight game late.
The Fever's defense, which had been an issue all night, was struggling in a big way. They needed stops to make a run but couldn't get any. And when they did go on small runs, they got in their own way. Johnson committed an away-from-the-play foul inside the final minute with the Fever down one. That gave the Mercury a free point.
Indiana still had chances in the final minute. But they made life hard for themselves with poor defense and execution in the final four minutes, including an offensive foul called on Mitchell with about 20 seconds left (though this one was more about Kahleah Copper selling contact).
The Fever had the ball down three late again but couldn't find a look from deep. Sophie Cunningham settled for a two. And with five seconds left after a missed Phoenix foul shot, the Fever couldn't grab a rebound. That sealed their fate.
The Fever fell and split the two-game set. Final score: Mercury 111, Fever 109. The Fever are 10-8.
Thank you for reading. I was watching this game while also covering the second round of the NBA Draft, so forgive any floaty, incomplete thoughts. Sign up for more stories about the Fever and, of course, said NBA Draft.
Comments ()