Second half turnaround guides Fever to big win over Liberty: Likes and Dislikes
The Fever dominated the Liberty on Saturday night.
INDIANAPOLIS – Another day, another game for the Indiana Fever. Saturday night was their third in four nights, all coming at home. That's a tough stretch, even with all three games coming without travel.
This time, the New York Liberty were in town. In recent years, their size has given the Fever challenges, but they have been reeling recently with five losses in six games.
Caitlin Clark was hoping to follow up a spectacular performance from Friday night, a win over the Seattle Storm. Likes and Dislikes from Fever vs Liberty.
Tony East
DISLIKE: Bad starts and technical fouls
What a mess for the Fever early.
After 2:47 of play, they had already given up a quartet of outside shots to the Liberty, who were 4/4 from long range. The visitors scored at the rim for an easy layup on their first possession, too, netting 14 quick points thanks to their own offense.
The Fever took a timeout after that slow start to regroup defensively. And New York actually had 15 points at that time thanks to an additional free throw, one generated due to a technical foul given to Clark.
Clark ran into a hard screen from Jonquel Jones and fell into the hardwood. It was a physical play, and Clark immediately had words for a nearby official. She was given a technical foul, then Breanna Stewart hit the foul shot. It was an ugly start for the Fever in many ways.
DISLIKE: Marine Johannes taking over
Like yesterday's note on Awa Fam, this is a dislike for the Fever but not for fans of fun basketball. Johannes, known for her flair and shooting, was taking over the game with... flair and shooting.
She drilled four outside shots in just the first quarter, then threw a gorgeous pass to Stewart for a bucket. Her 12 points were all on challenging shots that she makes look easy.
Johannes added two steals in the period. She was a difficult matchup for the Fever early.
LIKE: Sophie Cunningham, shooting early
The Fever were struggling in the first quarter, yet their deficit would have been much larger if not for Sophie Cunningham's first quarter.
She came in with the Fever trailing by 10, and that edge would eventually climb to 12. The Fever's bench needed a lift, and Cunningham provided it.
She hit two threes, plus two foul shots, on her way to eight first-quarter points. It would have been 10 without a blown wide open layup. Her surge, combined with a strong scoring start from Kelsey Mitchell, helped the Fever cut into the Liberty's lead. It was 28-22 in favor of New York after one quarter.
DISLIKE: Getting in their own way
The Fever's first-half deficit kept growing because they were struggling to make shots. With 5:38 to go in the first half, they were shooting 38% from the field and had nine turnovers.
The Fever also couldn't get out of their own way. Several of their worst defensive moments were just lapses, many of which came from poor or late rotations. The Liberty were 9/14 from deep because many of their looks were wide open.
And on offense, the Fever kept ending possessions without a shot at all. They had nine turnovers at that moment, many of which came from self-inflicted plays like offensive fouls or travels. It's hard to mount a comeback without shot attempts.
LIKE: Closing the half strong
The Fever trailed by 10 with 2:10 to go until halftime, and it felt like they should be down more. They were not playing well, and the flow of a whistle-heavy game clearly threw them off.
Yet their close to the half was strong. All of their stars made big plays and hit shots down the stretch as the Fever trimmed their deficit down to four. It was 49-45 at the break in favor of New York thanks to a 13-7 Fever run to close the second quarter.
(Editorializing: 25 fouls called in that half. That stinks! Too many.)
LIKE: Finishing a run
The Fever were down 42-29, then went on a 21-7 run to take the lead early in the third quarter.
The pace of the game certainly favored the Liberty with the many whistles and stoppages, but the Fever found their footing thanks to better half-court offense and more connected defense. They immediately gave up their lead, but that they got it back at all was telling. Once they cleaned up sloppy play, their level rose.
LIKE: Confidence
Myisha Hines-Allen checked in for her first minutes of the night with 6:37 on the clock in the third quarter. 13 seconds later, she pulled in a defensive rebound.
Then, exactly one minute after checking in, the Liberty left Hines-Allen wide open in the corner to cut off a drive from Clark. Hines-Allen, who hasn't been playing much recently, confidently took the triple... and drilled it. It gave the Fever a lead and some momentum – the Fever bench loved the shot.
DISLIKE: Missed foul shots
Free throws are important during games with many fouls, which made Kelsey Mitchell's 0/3 trip to the stripe all the more important late in the third quarter.
Mitchell was having a terrific quarter otherwise, but those were important points left on the table in a six-point game. The Fever, as a team, were 7/14 from the line at that point... and then Mitchell hit a three on the team's next possession. As she does.
LIKE: Kelsey Mitchell, generally
Missed foul shots are painful, but Mitchell was doing so many other things well in the third quarter.
She went 5/6 from the field, including two threes, on her way to a 14-point quarter. She mixed in tough mid-range shots, quick drives, and tough-to-cover jumpers. Indiana won the quarter 30-12 and held a 75-61 lead going into the final frame.
LIKE: Caitlin Clark to start the final quarter
On the Fever's second fourth-quarter possession, Clark drove the ball on the right side of the court, taking her becoming-frequent longer layup and hitting it from 10 feet out. She drew a foul, too, canning the free throw.
On the Fever's next play, Clark bombed a 30-foot shot... and drilled it. Six points on two possessions and the Fever's lead was up to 18. That forced a New York timeout. Since the 2:55 mark of the second quarter, the Fever were on a 52-21 run at that moment, and Clark ignited the crowd once again.
LIKE: Kelsey Mitchell, going for the kill
With 3:55 to go in the fourth quarter, Mitchell bombed a difficult three and drilled it while getting fouled. It was a nasty shot, yet one Mitchell is uniquely capable of making with some regularity. Her teammates surrounded her after the whistle, and all of them were smiling cheek to cheek.
That shot got Mitchell to 32 points, and the ensuing free throw made it 33. Her career high of 38 was in danger of falling, but the Fever were up 19 with 3:33 to go. Her playing time down the stretch would be a limiting factor.
LIKE: An impressive outing
A back-to-back against the Liberty is a tough circumstance. A 13-point deficit is tough to overcome generally.
Neither of those obstacles were too big for the Fever. From the point they trail 42-29 through the end of the game, they outscored the Liberty 79-46. 22 minutes of pure dominance.
The final score was 108-88. The Fever improved to 16-10 with the victory and have just one more game until the All-Star break.
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