Mitchell sets single-season scoring record as she and Clark lead Fever to win over Tempo: Likes and Dislikes
The Fever were finally back in action.
MY OFFICE, Ind. – The Indiana Fever, who had not played since August 28, were finally back in action on Friday night. It was a road game in Toronto, marking the final 2026 game for the Fever against a non-playoff team.
The Tempo's best players are out for the season due to injury, and their defensive rating is by far the worst in the WNBA. But they were able to keep things close against the Fever last month – with a rest vs rust battle present for both teams, this game was hard to predict.
Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Stephanie White were back in WNBA mode after spending the last few weeks in Berlin for the World Cup. Chronological Likes and Dislikes from Fever vs Tempo.
Tony East
LIKE: Caitlin Clark, not missing a beat
Clark and Boston had an interesting balance at play. On one hand, they were in more of a rhythm than their teammates, playing six games for Team USA during the FIBA break. On the other hand, they had to adjust to a new timezone this week and didn't practice with the Fever much during the time off.
Early, Clark's rhythm was the obvious heavyweight in that balance. She had eight points, thanks to two deep threes and a layup, about five minutes into the game and added two assists. Her ability to create separation was just as good as it always is to start this game.
With Clark rolling, the Fever were ahead 15-9 after five minutes of play and up four at the game's first stoppage.
LIKE: Rotational shift
After two productive games before the FIBA break, Mercedes Russell continued to operate as the backup center in Fever-Tempo. She checked in with Monique Billings in the middle of the first quarter.
Russell was a late-season signing, but her size is undeniable and can be impactful if used in the right settings. Alongside Billings, and paired with Sophie Cunningham, Ty Harris, and Clark, the Fever's second unit pushed their lead to nine.
The final minutes of the first quarter were wobbly. The second unit still needs to be finalized for the postseason. But there were some positive signs early in Toronto, and the Fever were ahead 25-19 after the opening 10 minutes. The biggest issue for the Fever was rebounding – the Tempo had eight offensive rebounds in the first frame.
DISLIKE: Little things
The Fever were up just seven early in the second quarter despite shooting about 30% better from the field than the Tempo. And the little things were to blame for their edge not being bigger.
The Tempo, as mentioned above, dominated the offensive glass in the first quarter. That gave them extra possessions – as did the turnover battle, which favored Toronto 5-2 after 14 minutes of play.
And at that moment, the Fever had committed nine fouls while the Tempo had five. Every other aspect of the game heavily favored the Fever, but they couldn't break the scoreboard open because of the little things.
DISLIKE: Ugly close to the first half
The Fever led 52-36 at one point in the second quarter and were guided by efficient scoring from their backcourt. Mitchell and Clark had a combined 30 points through two quarters.
The Fever's edge was 53-38 with 2:19 until halftime. Then, disaster. The Tempo closed the quarter on a 12-0 run, taking over the game with speed and shotmaking.
Toronto shot 3/3 in that stretch while making four free throws. They snagged one steal and kept pushing in transition. The Fever, meanwhile, missed every shot they took in that span and had many short possessions. The bench players who were effective in the first quarter were poor in the second.
Clark pointed to offensive rebounding, fouling, and transition defense as issues during a halftime interview on the ION broadcast. Those were all concerns during that poor stretch. Instead of controlling the game at the break, the Fever's lead was just 53-50 at the stoppage.
LIKE: More history for Kelsey Mitchell
The Fever gave their lead away early in the third quarter but got it back after Mitchell hit a left-wing three. And that three had added meaning.
It gave Mitchell 22 points in the game, which brought her 2026 total to 1,023. That pushed her beyond A'ja Wilson's 1,021 points from 2024 and made Mitchell the top single-season scorer in WNBA history.
2026 is not over, but Mitchell entered Friday about 40 points ahead of Wilson in the ongoing. There is a good chance she ends the campaign holding this record after officially setting it in Toronto. She extended her 20-point game streak, too. And yet, moments later the Fever took a timeout with the score tied at 63.
LIKE: Threes, from everyone
The Fever were fouling too much, defending poorly in transition, and getting beat on the glass for almost all of the first three quarters. They were getting outhustled by the Tempo.
And yet, they found themselves up six at the end of the third quarter because their shot making was fantastic. The Fever made 59.2% of their field goal attempts through three quarters and started 14/25 from long range. Role players were accurate from long range with all of Lexie Hull, Harris, Cunningham, and Myisha Hines-Allen hitting a shot from beyond the arc.
Hines-Allen had a key stretch of scoring – seven points in about 2.5 minutes – to close the third quarter. That helped the Fever take a 79-73 lead into the fourth.
LIKE: Caitlin Clark's rim pressure
In the fourth quarter, Clark kept driving to the cup. And when she did, good things were happening for the Fever.
She drew two fouls on shots in the lane, then finished a layup about halfway through the final quarter. That shot gave her six points in the fourth quarter – the rest of the Fever had just four.
The layup put the Fever up 11, putting their lead in double figures after several minutes of the game being within 10. It forced a Tempo timeout.
LIKE: Kelsey Mitchell daggers
The Fever defense was better in the fourth quarter, but the Tempo hung around for just long enough to make things interesting. They were down 10 with 2:15 to go.
Then, Mitchell found the net twice in a row. First, it was a three from the right side. After, a cutting layup – plus a foul – via a slick pass from Clark.
That was Clark's 14th assist, which tied a season high. And Mitchell's free throw put the Fever up 16, which all but ended the game. She reached 33 points at the stripe.
And the Fever went on to win 103-85. While the Fever led most of the game, the final score is not reflective of how close this battle was for most of the night. The 18-point win improved the team's record to 27-14. They host the Washington Mystics on Sunday.
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