The Indiana Fever snapped their three-game losing streak with an 85-76 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This was their first victory without star guard Caitlin Clark, who has been sidelined since Memorial Day with a quad strain.
After a competitive first half, the Fever dominated the third quarter to build a 16-point lead. It seemed as though they would cruise to victory, but Brittney Sykes led the Mystics on a furious rally that cut the deficit down to two at multiple points. That was as close as the road team would get, however, as the Fever pulled away down the stretch.
The Fever are now 3-4 on the season. They will be back in action on Saturday night against the Chicago Sky in a game that will be broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
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Here are some key takeaways from the Fever’s first win in nearly two weeks:
McDonald makes an immediate impact
The Fever were hard hit by injuries last week. In addition to losing Clark for multiple weeks (the earliest she can return is June 10 vs. the Atlanta Dream), Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham also went down during their loss to the Connecticut Sun.
While Colson was able to return to action on Tuesday, they were still without Clark and Cunningham, which left them with nine healthy players. WNBA teams are eligible for an emergency hardship exception when they have fewer than 10 available players, and the Fever used one to sign former lottery pick Aari McDonald.
McDonald was called upon just minutes into the game when Colson had to leave briefly with a bloody nose, and didn’t sit much the rest of the night. While she didn’t shoot the ball well from 3-point range — a few attempts were late shot clock heaves — she finished with seven points, five assists, three steals and zero turnovers in 27 minutes off the bench. In addition to her actual steals, she caused multiple other turnovers by drawing offensive fouls.
“Aari was terrific,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “She came in, she was the ultimate point guard, she got us settled when we needed to. Five assists, zero turnovers, that’s huge. And not just that, she set the tone on the defensive end. That was big time for us.”
The Fever will have to terminate McDonald’s hardship contract once Cunningham and/or Clark are healthy, but after this performance they may want to figure out a way to bring her back. McDonald is the best point of attack defender on the roster, as she showed throughout Tuesday’s contest, and her ability to get downhill into the paint to create for others is something the team largely lacks outside of Clark.
Kelsey Mitchell joked that McDonald, who only had one practice with the team after being signed on Monday, knew the plays better than some of the players who have been there all season.
“She did everything amazingly and with such grace,” Mitchell said. “I think for us, we can use what she brings to the table offensively and defensively. She can guard the ball, she can get us all in position to get shots, and more importantly, she’s fun to play with.”
Mitchell finally steps up
Mitchell was awesome last season. She made her second consecutive All-Star appearance, finished eighth in the league in scoring with a career-high 19.2 points per game and shot 40.2% from 3-point range. While there were obvious concerns when Clark was ruled out for multiple weeks, Mitchell’s presence was one of the main reasons everyone thought the Fever would be able to weather the storm.
Instead, Mitchell scored a combined 27 points on 8 of 31 shooting in the Fever’s first two games without Clark. They lost both, including one to the previously winless Connecticut Sun.
The Fever needed more from Mitchell with Clark still sidelined, and she delivered against the Mystics. Mitchell finished with 24 points and three assists on 7 of 14 from the field, including 4 of 7 from behind the arc. Mitchell scored nine of her points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch and-one with 1:28 to play that sealed the win.
Fever have best night of the season from 3-point range
Clark’s presence makes it easy to assume the Fever are a prolific 3-point shooting team, but they haven’t been to start the season. Entering Tuesday, they were 11th in the league in attempts per game (20.3) and seventh in percentage (33.6).
Against the Mystics, however, they leaned into the long ball. They shot 11 of 28 from behind the arc, setting new season highs for both makes and attempts. This was the first time all season they’ve made double-digit 3s in a game, and their 39.3% mark was their third-best thus far.
Lexie Hull, who made two 3s en route to a 14-point night, praised the team’s ball movement and decision-making. They had 21 assists on 30 made field goals, and turned it over just eight times.
“A big focus for us is 0.5 basketball,” Hull said. “Get the ball, do something with it. Either drive, pass, shoot, and just trying to make those right reads, and make them quick. When our spacing’s good, those reads are way easier. I think that’s what it really comes down to. Our team played really well together. We got to spots, we made the extra pass. A lot of our points were off of assists, and that’s all we can really ask for.”
Mitchell led the way with four triples, while six different players made at least one of them. Notably, the Fever’s 11 3s were more than the Mystics attempted as a team, and they outscored them 33-3 in that category — a huge margin and a major factor in their victory.
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