Running notes from Fever preseason game two vs Wings

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever were back at home for the first time in months on Thursday night as they hosted the Dallas Wings for preseason action. And while the Fever had already played a tune up game last weekend, their first few possessions vs Dallas looked sloppy and unfamiliar.

Two missed foul shots. Two turnovers. A blown defensive rep. All in less than two minutes as the Wings took a 5-1 lead.

That's what the preseason is all about – connecting and ironing out those details-based errors. And the Fever, missing two starters and a few reserves, were better after their poor start. Some running notes from the action.

1. Caitlin Clark, welcome back to Indianapolis. The crowd, as expected, was excited to see her introduced. Then she went on a solo 7-0 run to give the Fever a lead after the rough start.
2. First subs: Damiris Dantas for Monique Billings and Raven Johnson for Caitlin Clark. On one hand, noteworthy as the team figures out their sub patterns. On the other hand, it's hard to know what to make of the playing time with both Aliyah Boston and Tayasha Harris out.
3. Powerful rebound from Myisha Hines-Allen, battling with Li Yueru. Hines-Allen is giving up quite a bit of size there, but her power and technique on the boards already stands out. Other skills need to come along, though.
4. Without Hull, the Fever are still forced to go to three-guard lineups. Johnson, Kelsey Mitchell, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough are all on the floor at the same time right now. Wing depth was one of my questions about the Fever's offseason.
5. Walker-Kimbrough, by the way, continues to be impressive early in training camp and preseason play.
6. Fun action for the Fever with Clark rising from the corner off a screen from Billings with Walker-Kimbrough as the point guard. That's what the Fever mean when they talk about Clark off the ball – getting her chances on the move. She used the extra space to beat her defender and draw a shooting foul.
7. Speaking of Clark, three-straight great passes to bigs. Billings missed a layup, then hit an elbow jumper – Hines-Allen was wide open in the lane on the next trip.
8. First quarter ends: Fever 29, Wings 25. Clark already has 14 points and two assists.

1. Aziaha James is causing problems for the Fever with her rim pressure. Fever point of attack defense was a problem in their first preseason game, too. They need to improve there.
2. And the Fever offense has fallen off. 13-2 run for Dallas in about two minutes to start the second quarter and they're ahead. Head coach Stephanie White calls timeout.
3. That timeout didn't help. 22 points in the first four minutes of the second quarter for Dallas. They are rolling.
4. Now the Fever offense looks clunky, too. They're taking an eternity to start their sets and, naturally, getting bad (or no) shots as a result.
5. Johnson's energy is about the only positive thing for the Fever in this quarter. A few steals and good tempo on offense.
6. Halftime: Wings 61, Fever 46. What an awful second quarter for the Fever on both ends of the floor.

1. A cleaner defensive start to the second half for the Fever, but not enough scoring to make a dent in the lead.
2. Clark goes down after getting fouled on a three, and she stays on the ground for a bit. It's ruled a landing space foul, so three foul shots for Clark and the Fever keep the ball. Clark exited the game just after the free throws to get looked at on the bench. She had a slight limp for a moment.
3. Clark goes to the bench to get looked at – she didn't have to go to the locker room but put her warmup jacket back on. Jessica Timmons entered the game. Clark is still standing.
4. Forgettable game from the Fever frontcourt reserves. Damiris Dantas is now 0/3 with two turnovers, for example.
5. Johnson's energy and steals continue to be impactful, but her handle has been a bit too loose after the early portion of this game. She's up to three turnovers and just barely avoided her fourth.
6. The Fever look much more like their first quarter selves right now. My two cents: Their paint pressure is back. More decisive, and quicker, on offense plus sharper passing.
7. Walker-Kimbrough has been a much steadier hand than I anticipated. Really good first two games of the preseason. The Fever are down 11 as I type this and she is +4.
8. Score after three quarters: Wings 78, Fever 66. Fever are +7 across the first and third quarters but still in a big hole after a dismal second frame.

1. Three offensive rebounds in one trip for the Wings early in the fourth, who finally score on the fourth one. That's not what the Fever want, and they take a timeout after the play.
2. Back to back threes for Kayana Traylor, who is fighting for a spot on the team in training camp. She's up to eight points. Her only pro appearances came in 2023 for the Minnesota Lynx.
3. Timmons just chased down a rebound between several Wings defenders, an impressive play... just for the Fever to turn it over quickly. A nice summary of this game: the team's effort-filled moments are immediately followed by mistakes.
4. Dantas now 1/7 from the field and 0/4 from deep. She's been with the team for less than a week but this has been a very poor first outing.
5. Can't say I expected a ton of production from the second/third unit down the stretch, but the offense was bad for much of this fourth quarter. Fever have had chances to catch up but haven't been able to.
6. Fever's center group today: Billings (1/5) and Dantas (2/11). Both need to be better.
7. Final: Wings 95, Fever 80. Fever lost the second quarter by 19 points and outscored the Wings across the other three. But man were they bad in the second period.

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