Indiana Fever lose tight battle to Golden State Valkyries: Likes and Dislikes
The Fever fell in another one possession game.
MY LIVING ROOM, Ind. – The Fever and Valkyries battled again on Thursday night, the second-straight Fever game against the same opponent. Golden State's defense is excellent, but the Fever were able to put up 90 points in a victory during their last matchup.
This time, both teams were more rested. Indiana hadn't played in nearly a week. The Valkyries weren't on a back-to-back like they were in the previous matchup. That upped the energy level all around, which only added to the battle between two contenders.
Bree Hall, who likely wasn't going to be active anyway, was out with an illness. The Fever were healthy otherwise. Likes and dislikes from round two of Fever vs Valkyries.
Tony East
LIKE: Early intensity
The extra energy both teams had was clear early. There were powerful drives, physical battles, and fast play in the open floor during the first five or so minutes of action.
Caitlin Clark loves that type of game and was the Fever's best source of offense early. She was attacking the rim often, the right counter against a pressuring defense that forced Clark to start 1/4 from the field. Instead, Clark got to the foul line.
Veronica Burton was Golden State's most effective starter, scoring frequently and injecting her passion into the game. The early intensity was more obvious, ironically, when the game stopped – with 5:32 to go, there was a break in play and almost all of the 10 players on the court leaned over to catch their breath. It was a fun, fast start.
DISLIKE: Fever first quarter paint defense
The Valkyries made six two-point shots in the first quarter, more than the Fever made in total during the same span. Five of those six Golden State makes came right at the basket.
They were cutting to the cup, then seeing no help defense from the Fever. Golden State scored twice after offensive rebounds and were forcing the Fever into mistakes with their rim pressure.
It was a poor defensive start for the Fever, especially at the rim, though much of their first-quarter deficit could be attributed to poor three-point shooting. The Fever were 0/8 after 10 minutes in that department.
After one period: Valkyries 21, Fever 14.
DISLIKE: Aliyah Boston foul trouble
Aliyah Boston was frustrated with the officials early in the second quarter after picking up two offensive fouls 32 seconds apart. While they were her first two fouls of the game, there was a lot of time to go before halftime.
Boston expressed her dismay with the calls. The Fever needed her abilities in a game like this, particularly on defense, but lost the star big thanks to physical post battles in the second quarter.
The Valkyries lead reached 11 soon after Boston exited, though Clark answered with a trio of free throws.
LIKE: Raven Johnson's first half
With 2.5 minutes to go until halftime, the Fever were down four. Raven Johnson, however, was +4. Her defense was pesky, as usual, but it was her offense that was eye popping.
She was 4/6 from the field, accounting for one-third of the team's first 12 makes. Her drives were deliberate and effective. Her finishing was sublime.
Johnson's passing came along, too – she set up her teammates after creating advantages and had two pretty assists that kept the second unit humming. Her energy shined even in a game filled with it.
At halftime, Johnson had eight points and two dimes. She was the most obvious contributor, but the Fever bench was impressive in the first half. All of Myisha Hines-Allen, Sophie Cunningham, and Makayla Timpson chipped in, and the Timpson plus Hines-Allen combo stepped up after Boston's foul trouble. Halftime score: Valkyries 44, Fever 44.
DISLIKE: Fever three-point shooting
Outside of a short flurry in the second quarter, the Fever were way off from deep through 30 minutes. They weren't playing a great game in general, but their shooting was detrimental even beyond other struggles.
Late in the third quarter, only Kelsey Mitchell had hit more than one outside shot. The Fever were 5/20 as a team with Cunningham and Clark, at the time, combining to be 1/10. Most of the looks were good, but they weren't dropping.
Golden State, meanwhile, hovered around 50% from deep for much of the first three quarters. When the Fever were sitting at 5/20, the Valkyries were 7/15. The volume of makes between the two teams wasn't that far apart. The accuracy was.
Much of the third quarter was back-and-forth otherwise, with the teams trading the lead for a while. Johnson continued her spectacular outing and hit a triple late in the frame that extended the Fever's edge.
After three: Fever 67, Valkyries 65.
DISLIKE: Early fourth quarter Fever offense
Timpson scored with 9:21 on the clock in the fourth quarter to give the Fever a two-point lead. Then, across the next 3:23, the Valkyries went on an 8-0 run. The Fever were struggling to get good looks, especially at the basket, and that made their life harder on defense.
Golden State accumulated multiple blocks and steals in that stretch, which allowed them to play in the open floor. The Fever's defense was mostly fine during this 203 second run of play, but there's only so much a defense can do when playing in transition over and over. Suddenly, the Fever were on the back foot.
Boston hit a three-point shot with 5:58 on the clock to stop the bleeding. But the Fever were down three at the time and had work to do in the final minutes.
LIKE: Fight from everyone, response from stars
Clark checked back in with the Fever down three and 4:41 on the clock. That ignited a spirited run of play from the Fever.
It started with a Kelsey Mitchell three. Then, on the next trip, Clark found the net from beyond the arc. The Fever protected the cup on their ensuing defensive set and finally had a chance at the lead after a rebound from Boston.
The stars were waking up. Their next possession featured an impressive offensive rebound from Lexie Hull, who found Boston in the lane for two. The Fever were ahead again.
Some fight from the team, plus big plays from the stars, gave the team an edge heading into the final three minutes.
DISLIKE: The Fever's final 140 seconds
The Fever were up one and given a gift with 2:20 to go as Gabby Williams missed two foul shots. But they did nothing with it. Instead, Janelle Salaun grabbed an offensive rebound, then got fouled and hit two shots at the stripe.
Boston missed the Fever's next shot before Salaun grabbed a board. On the ensuing Valkyries offensive possession, she found herself wide open and scored. Just 32 seconds after being handed a gift, the Fever were down three.
They called a timeout. But their first two possessions out of the stoppage both featured turnovers from Clark, and Salaun scored after the second one to give Golden State a five-point lead with 31 seconds to go.
In less than two minutes, the Fever went from up one to down five. It was a killer stretch. Even with a good next 14 seconds, in which the Fever scored four points thanks to a Golden State turnover, the Fever were still looking for a miracle with 0.6 seconds to go. They were trailing by two.
Boston's turnaround jumper from about 15 feet away was not that miracle. The Fever fell, ending their three-game winning streak. Final score: Valkyries 90, Fever 88. The Fever are now 4-3.
Thank you for reading. Expect many Pacers stories in the next couple weeks on this website, plus dispatches from every Fever game. They next hit the hardwood on Saturday in Portland against the Fire.
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