Provocative VIDEO by Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Christie Sides — Post-war fever after victory, series sweep over Mercury
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Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides talk with reporters after their 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark (29 points, five rebounds and 10 assists) recorded double-digit assists for the 8th time in 10 games. Mitchell scored 28 points. The Fever raced ahead 33-16 after the first quarter, led the majority of the game and by as many as 28 points.
Four technical fouls were issued in the game, including three on the Mercury.
Kahleah Copper had another special game and finished with a game-high 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Fever improve to 12-15 and they swept the season series (3-0) against the Mercury, who have three gold medalists from Team USA. This was the Fever’s first game post-Olympic break whereas the Mercury won by 20 points in Chicago on Thursday.
Indiana Fever beat Phoenix Mercury, win 12th game, Caitlin Clark stats, highlights
The Indiana Fever came out of the Olympics break with a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.
Indiana improved to 12-15 overall. Here are Fever reporter Chloe Peterson’s quick takeaways and we’ll have more coverage soon.
Caitlin Clark led the way with 29 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell had a season-high 28 points. The win marked the third time Indiana had beaten Phoenix. Next up for the Fever is a home matchup against the Seattle Storm.
Final: Indiana Fever avoid Phoenix Mercury comeback, win 12th game
The Fever won their 12th game of the season.
Caitlin Clark had 29 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell had 28 points and six 3s. Aliyah Boston put up 14 points and nine rebounds. NaLyssa Smith had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Fever 98, Mercury 89
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2:38 left 4Q: Fever up by 9 late in the fourth vs. Mercury
Natasha Cloud made a 3 for Phoenix to cut the lead to nine with a little over two minutes left in the game. Indiana has outscored Phoenix in the fourth, 18-17.
Fever 91, Mercury 82
6:56 left 4Q: Fever get another 3-pointer from Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark hit her fourth 3 of the game at 8:59. She sits at 24 points. Diana Taurasi made a 3 to cut the lead to five, but Clark and Aliyah Boston combined for three points to extend Indiana’s lead to eight.
Fever 79, Mercury 71
End of 3Q: Fever lead Mercury by 8 points going into fourth quarter
Phoenix briefly took the lead with 2:42 left, but Lexie Hull hit a 3 to give the Fever a 64-62 lead. With 35 seconds left, Caitlin Clark hit a jumper. Katie Lou Samuelson made a 3 at the buzzer to give Indiana a little breathing room going into the fourth.
Fever 73, Mercury 65
3:21 left 3Q: Mercury make a comeback against the Fever
Kelsey Mitchell and Natasha Cloud were issued double technical fouls after they were separated for pushing each other. The players exchanged some words after Mitchell was called for an offensive foul.
Phoenix rattled off consecutive 3s to put the Mercury within striking distance. The Mercury have outscored the Fever in the third quarter, 20-7.
Fever 61, Mercury 57
7:02 left 3Q: Mercury begins second half on 9-1 run
The Mercury cut into the Fever’s lead to start the third quarter with a 9-1 run. Phoenix is now within nine points.
Fever 55, Mercury 46
Halftime: Caitlin Clark leads the Fever into the half
Phoenix heated up from beyond the arc in the second quarter with five 3-pointers. The Mercury shot 27% from 3 while the Fever shot 38% from long distance. Indiana has four players (Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Nalyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston) in double-digits for scoring. Clark has 16 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Fever 54, Mercury 37
4:33 left 2Q: Fever in control against Mercury
Caitlin Clark has 16 points and three 3s. Clark also has four assists and three rebounds. Indiana is shooting 55% from the floor.
Fever 48, Mercury 26
7:10 left 2Q: Caitlin Clark makes another 3 to extend the Fever’s lead
Caitlin Clark hasn’t slowed down. She hit a 3 at 9:35 to give Indiana a 36-18 lead. NaLyssa Smith (nine points) and Kelsey Mitchell (12 points) have also played a big part so far.
Fever 43, Mercury 18
End of 1Q: Fever have fast start against Mercury
Caitlin Clark drilled a 3-pointer at 7:15 to give the Fever a 9-2 lead. Kahleah Copper hit a jumper at 7:05. Clark responded with three straight free throws. At 5:58, Clark made another basket to give Indiana a 16-6 advantage. Clark was at the free throw line again and made both attempts.
NaLyssa Smith made a layup at 5:30 to give Indiana a 20-6 lead. Mikiah Herbert Harrigan made a 3 at 3:07 to cut the Fever’s lead to 22-9. Kelsey Mitchell responded with a 3-pointer of her own.
Toward the end of the quarter, Clark made a 3-pointer. Clark had 13 points in the first quarter.
Fever 33, Mercury 16
7:56 left 1Q: Fever start quickly with Aliyah Boston baskets
Aliyah Boston scored the first points of the game for the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell then scored off an assist from Boston, who scored again at 7:56.
Fever 6, Mercury 0
When do the Indiana Fever play today?
7:30 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
What channel are the Indiana Fever on?
TV: Ion
Streaming: Fubo (free trial)
Are the Indiana Fever favored vs. the Phoenix Mercury?
via BetMGM
Favorite: Fever by 3.5 points
Over/under: 174.5 total points
Moneyline: Fever -155, Mercury +130
Caitlin Clark stats with the Indiana Fever
Averages through July 17 (26 games): 17.1 points, 8.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 32.7% 3-point shooting, 89.1% free throw shooting.
Get Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever jerseys, gear
Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark jerseys, shirts, sweatshirts and hats from Fanatics can be found here.
Tickets to see Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Tickets for Fever games are available here.
Indiana Fever schedule
This is the Indiana Fever 2024 schedule, with TV info; all times are ET; ^-preseason.
Date, day
place, opponent
Time, TV/results
May 14, Tues.
at Connecticut
L, 92-71
May 16, Thurs.
vs. New York
L, 102-66
May 18, Sat.
at New York
L, 91-80
May 20, Mon.
vs. Connecticut
L, 88-84
May 22, Wed.
at Seattle
L, 85-83
May 24, Fri.
at Los Angeles
W, 78-73
May 25, Sat.
at Las Vegas
L, 99-80
May 28, Tues.
vs. Los Angeles
L, 88-82
May 30, Thurs.
vs. Seattle
L, 103-88
June 1, Sat.
vs. Chicago*
W, 71-70
June 2, Sun.
at New York*
L, 104-68
June 7, Fri.
at Washington*
W, 85-83
June 10, Mon.
at Connecticut*
L, 89-72
June 13, Thurs.
vs. Atlanta*
W, 91-84
June 16, Sun.
vs. Chicago
W, 91-83
June 19, Wed.
vs. Washington
W, 88-81
June 21, Fri.
at Atlanta
W, 91-79
June 23, Sun.
at Chicago
L, 88-87
June 27, Thurs.
at Seattle
L, 89-77
June 30, Sun.
at Phoenix
W, 88-82
July 2, Tues.
at Las Vegas
L, 88-69
July 6, Sat.
vs. New York
W, 83-78
July 10, Wed.
vs. Washington
L, 89-84
July 12, Fri.
vs. Phoenix
W, 95-86
July 14, Sun.
at Minnesota
W, 81-74
July 17, Wed.
at Dallas
L, 101-93
Aug. 16, Fri.
vs. Phoenix
7:30 p.m., Ion
Aug. 18, Sun.
vs. Seattle
4 p.m., ABC
Aug. 24, Sat.
at Minnesota
8 p.m., NBA TV
Aug. 26, Mon.
at Atlanta
7:30 p.m., NBA TV, WTHR
Aug. 28, Wed.
vs. Connecticut
7 p.m., NBA TV
Aug. 30, Fri.
at Chicago
7:30 p.m., Ion
Sept. 1, Sun.
at Dallas
4 p.m., NBA TV
Sept. 4, Wed.
vs. Los Angeles
7 p.m., CBS SN, WALV
Sept. 6, Fri.
vs. Minnesota
7:30 p.m., Ion
Sept. 8, Sun.
vs. Atlanta
4 p.m., WTHR
Sept. 11, Wed.
vs. Las Vegas
7 p.m., NBA TV
Sept. 13, Fri.
vs. Las Vegas
7:30 p.m., Ion
Sun. 15, Sun.
vs. Dallas
3 p.m., WALV
Sept. 19, Thurs.
at Washington
7 p.m., Prime, WTHR
*-Commissioner’s Cup games
WNBA standings
Eight teams make the WNBA playoffs
Team
Record
New York
22-4
Connecticut
18-6
Minnesota
18-8
Seattle
17-8
Las Vegas
16-8
Phoenix
14-12
Fever
11-15
Chicago
10-15
Atlanta
7-17
Los Angeles
6-19
Dallas
6-19
Washington
6-20
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