Caitlin Clark steps up in the second half, but Fever loses again to Aces

INDIANAPOLIS – In the most competitive game of the season, the Indiana Fever lost their second straight game 78-74 to the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night.

The Fever are now 19-19 this season and in sixth place in the playoffs.

Here are three observations:

For the first time this season there was a fever

With the Aces’ 4-0 victory over the Fever this season, Las Vegas is officially the only team the Fever has not beaten this season. However, for a team that won five games just two years ago, the Fever have improved tremendously, only being swept by the reigning WNBA champions, who won the title both times in a row.

Especially because there were fouls in the final game of the series on Friday night. The Fever came within one point towards the end of the fourth quarter, but were unable to make up the deficit.

The Fever avoided a win over the leading New York Liberty in July, giving the Liberty one of their six losses of the season. Indiana also avoided a win over third-place Connecticut and fifth-place Seattle, winning the first game of the series against second-place Minnesota.

Caitlin Clark breaks assists record for a season

In an unusual night, Caitlin Clark had no points at halftime. On a night filled with technical fouls in the first quarter and three personal fouls in the second minute, Clark played just 14 minutes in the first half and shot just five times.

But she took advantage of the first few minutes of the half by putting in a good performance for her teammates.

Clark collected six assists in her 14 minutes on the court, and her fifth was a record-breaker. She tossed the ball in to Kelsey Mitchell after a foul, and Mitchell laid it off for Clark’s 317th assist of the season – a new WNBA single-season record, surpassing Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas’ previous record of 316, set in 2023.

Coming into this season, the Fever rookie has always said she prefers to organize her own teammates. Her understanding of the game is unmatched, even as she made the jump from college to professional basketball. But usually, despite her understanding of the game, her scoring hasn’t dropped – she still averages 17.8 points per game.

And she showed that in the second half. In the third quarter alone, she scored 14 points and made 6 of 9 shots.

Fever work through physical play, Clark demanded technical

In the first of those back-to-back games against the Aces on Wednesday, the Fever struggled to get into the flow of the game as they seemed to be constantly getting fouled. The Fever prefer to play fast, transitional basketball, and whistles got in the way of that.

It was the same story in Friday’s first half, as the Fever and Aces were each called for eight fouls in the first half, three of which went to Clark, sending the Fever rookie to the bench.

Clark also picked up her sixth technical foul of the season when she hit the post in frustration over her second personal foul. Clark has received a technical foul for hitting the post before, but it’s also something she’s done all season that hasn’t been penalized with a technical foul. That puts Clark just one game away from a suspension if she picks up another one before the end of the regular season.

In addition to fouls, there were numerous other stoppages. Fever center Aliyah Boston was elbowed in the face and had to go to the locker room briefly (she eventually returned to the game). Later in the second quarter, Boston and Aces guard Chelsea Gray fought hard for a ball that was ultimately ruled a jump ball. Erica Wheeler also took a hit in the face in the third quarter, but managed to fend it off.

Kelsey Mitchell was the only reason the Fever stayed in the game in the first half. They trailed by just eight points at halftime. Mitchell had scored 19 of the Fever’s points while no other player scored more than five points.

In the third quarter, the Fever finally found their way back to the fast-paced offense that they had successfully used for most of the season, defeating the Aces 22-17.

How many points did Caitlin Clark score against the Aces?

Caitlin Clark scored 18 points, all in the second half. She made 7 of 18 shots (2 of 8 three-pointers) and flirted with another triple-double. She finished the game with nine assists and eight rebounds.

For the first time this season there was a fever

Caitlin Clark breaks assists record for a season

Fever work through physical play, Clark demanded technical

How many points did Caitlin Clark score against the Aces?

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