Clark scores 29, Fever inch closer to playoff spot

The Indiana Fever‘s first victory over the Phoenix Mercury this season, on June 30, is the game that rookie Caitlin Clark believes was a turning point for her team. A third win Friday over the Mercury — 98-89 as Indiana played its first game since the Olympic break — completed a season sweep and moved the Fever closer to a long-awaited playoff spot.

Indiana has 13 regular-season games to go and is in seventh place, a game ahead of eight-place Chicago and three in front of ninth-place Atlanta. The top eight teams make the WNBA playoffs, which Indiana hasn’t done since 2016.

After a tough schedule contributed to a 1-8 start, Indiana is now 12-15, and Clark continues to make WNBA history. With 29 points — one off her season high — 10 assists and 5 rebounds Friday, she became the first WNBA rookie to have multiple games of at least 25 points/10 assists/5 rebounds. It was her second such game this season.

Clark had a WNBA record 19 assists in the Fever’s last game before the break, on July 17. With 10 assists Friday, her total of 29 is the second highest by a WNBA player in any two-game span behind the New York Liberty‘s Courtney Vandersloot, who had 30 in a two-game stretch in 2020 while with the Sky.

“I’ve always been able to understand the court well and see something happen before it happens,” Clark said when asked about how quickly her playmaking skills translated from college to the WNBA. “But I think it’s just been developing the chemistry with my teammates, where they can see it and be on the same page. It’s having that chemistry that’s unspoken.”

Clark had 10 assists in the WNBA All-Star Game, contributing to Team WNBA’s 117-109 victory over the U.S. national team on July 20. After some vacation time, she returned to workouts with the Fever and was eager to play again Friday.

So were her teammates, including veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell, who had 28 points and combined with Clark to hit 10 3-pointers. Mitchell, the No. 2 draft pick in 2018, is in her seventh season with the Fever and at last in a real playoff chase.

“I think we came out with a lot of energy,” Clark said of the Fever, who were up 33-16 after the first quarter and 54-37 at halftime but saw Phoenix catch up in the third quarter. “They’re a really good team. They’re not going to go away. We let them go on a run, but then we responded. I’m really proud of us. We just kept battling and fighting.”

Kahleah Copper, who with Mercury teammates Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi won Olympic gold with Team USA in Paris, led Phoenix with 32 points.

“I think one of our biggest wins of the season was our first win at Phoenix,” Clark said of the 88-82 victory in which she finished one rebound shy of a triple-double. “That really kind of boosted us into how we’re playing basketball right now. We have a lot of respect for how they play the game and how talented they are, and I think that gave us confidence.”

The Fever also won 95-86 over the Mercury on July 12. Clark has had at least 15 points and 10 assists in all three games against the Mercury, the first player in WNBA history to hit those totals in three consecutive games against the same opponent.

With 223 assists this season, Clark is three shy of breaking the rookie season record of 225 set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998.

“This being such a young team … just as the season goes, they start recognizing things with each other,” Fever coach Christie Sides said of how Clark had clicked with her teammates. “It’s just these guys getting to know each other and trust each other.”