Caitlin Clark got hot in the second half, but the Fever lost again to the Aces
INDIANAPOLIS – In the most competitive game of the season series, the Indiana Fever dropped their second straight game to the Las Vegas Aces, 78-74, on Friday night.
The Fever are now 19-19 on the season, sitting in sixth place in the playoff picture.
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Here are three observations:
First fever this season
With the Aces' 4-0 record over the Fever this season, Las Vegas is officially the only team that hasn't beaten the Fever this season. A team that won five games just two years ago, though, the Fever has only gotten a boost from the defending WNBA champions.
Fouls occurred especially in the last game of the series on Friday night. The Fever came within one point late in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get over the hump.
The Fever avoided a sweep over the league-leading New York Liberty in July, handing the Liberty one of its six losses on the season. Indiana also avoided sweeps against third-ranked Connecticut and fifth-ranked Seattle, winning the first game of their series against second-ranked Minnesota.
Caitlin Clark broke the single-season assist record
In an unusual night, Caitlin Clarke was scoreless at halftime. Clark played just 14 minutes in the first half and took just five shots due to a technical foul in the first quarter and three personal fouls in two minutes of the second.
But he made up for those first half minutes by setting up his teammates.
Clark had six assists in his 14 minutes on the court and his fifth was a record breaker. After the foul she passed the ball to Kelsey Mitchell and Mitchell laid it in for Clarke's 317th assist of the season – a new WNBA single-season record. That broke the previous record of 316 set in 2023 by Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas.
Coming into this season, the Fever rookie has always said he likes to set up his own teammates. His court vision is unmatched, even making the jump from college to professional basketball. But generally, his scoring hasn't wavered with that court vision — he's still averaging 17.8 points per game.
And he showed it in the second half. He put up 14 points in the third quarter alone, shooting 6 of 9 in that quarter.
Working feverishly through physical play, Clarke called for technicality
In the first of a back-to-back against the Aces on Wednesday, the Fever struggled to get into the flow with seemingly constant fouls. The Fever likes to play up-tempo, transition basketball, and the whistle gets in that way.
It was a similar story in the first half on Friday, as the Fever and Aces were called for eight fouls in the first half. Three of them went to Clarke, forcing the Fever rookie to sit down.
Clark also picked up his sixth technical of the season, as he hit the stanchion in frustration for his second personal foul. Clark was given a technical foul once before for hitting the stanchion, but it's something he's done all season that hasn't been subject to a technical. That keeps Clarke from a one-game suspension if he picks one before the regular season ends.
Besides the fouls, there were more stoppages; Fever center Aaliyah Boston was elbowed in the face, and had to go to the locker room for a while (she eventually returned to the game). Later in the second quarter, Boston and Aces guard Chelsea Gray battled for a ball that was eventually called for a jump. Erika Wheeler was also hit in the face in the third quarter, but she shook it off.
Kelsey Mitchell was the only reason the game was feverish in the first half, down just eight at halftime; Mitchell had 19 of the Fever's points, while no other player had more than five.
The Fever finally found their groove in the third quarter, able to play the tempo offense that has been successful for most of the season. In that quarter, they outscored the Aces 22-17.
How many points did Caitlin Clark score against the Aces?
Caitlin Clark finished with 18 points – all in the second half. He shot 7-of-18 from the floor (2-of-8 from 3) and flirted with another triple-double, finishing with nine assists and eight rebounds.
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