Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Fever face a tough back-to-back matchup tonight against a Western rival, the Phoenix Mercury, after a disappointing loss last night.
- Caitlin Clark will miss the game due to a lingering back injury, while Aliyah Boston returns to the lineup.
- The Mercury could also be shorthanded if a star point guard's leg injury proves too much to overcome.
The Indiana Fever were forced down from their high of beating the Las Vegas Aces, as they suffered a 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks last night. Picking up this win would've done a lot for this squad's confidence heading into a tough stretch of games, but last night was just the Sparks' night all around. Each Los Angeles starter scored in double digits, with Nneka Ogwumike, Rae Burrell and Dearica Hamby all putting up 20+ point performances.
While Kelsey Mitchell had 29 points and Lexie Hull put up 14, the other three Fever starters combined for only 14 points — including Caitlin Clark, who only put up 9 points, shooting 33.3 percent from the floor. Indiana's 17 turnovers contributed to its downfall as well, as they resulted in 22 points for the Sparks.
I'm sure fans are hoping that Indiana isn't too tired because tonight, the Fever will look to bounce back against the Phoenix Mercury — whoever wins will take home the season series dub. However, Indiana will have to do it without one of its stars.
Caitlin Clark is out for the matchup with the Mercury
After missing much of last season due to various injuries, Clark is experiencing the same hardships this season. She missed two straight games before returning last night against the Sparks. Against Los Angeles, she played only 16 minutes. Now she will miss tonight's game against the Mercury due to her back injury.
This seems to be a strategic decision made by Head Coach Stephanie White. Last night, while Clark played, Indiana's starting center, Aliyah Boston, did not. Tonight, Clark will sit out and Boston will be available. Per Chloe Peterson, White stated, "With the back-to-back... they'll flip-flop."
This season, Clark is averaging 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. So far, when Clark has had to sit out due to injury, the rest of the Fever squad has been able to figure things out. They are 3-0 without her in the lineup this season — including a top-tier win against the Aces last week.
The Mercury could also be without one of their stars tonight. Alyssa Thomas is listed as probable after exiting Phoenix's most recent game with a leg injury. After going back to the locker room, Thomas did return to the game in the fourth quarter. It would be great for the Mercury if she were available tonight, as she averages 14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. The team would also benefit from Sami Whitcomb's return, if she's available. Whitcomb has yet to make her debut this season as she's been rehabbing a knee injury. She is officially listed as probable for tonight's game. She finished last season averaging 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Projected Fever starting lineup without Caitlin Clark
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Tyasha Harris | PG | Raven Johnson |
Lexie Hull | SG | Raven Johnson |
Kelsey Mitchell | SF | Sophie Cunningham |
Monique Billings | PF | Myisha Hines-Allen |
Aliyah Boston | C | Makayla Timpson |
Having Aliyah Boston back in the lineup should help this Fever squad a lot. Myisha Hines-Allen and Monique Billings are coming off an incredibly unproductive night as a frontcourt. Hines-Allen put up 0 points and only 2 rebounds against the Sparks, while Billings had 4 points and 12 rebounds. Boston will hopefully be able to breathe some life back into the Fever's paint scoring tonight. The Mercury rely pretty heavily on scoring in the paint — especially if AT is available tonight.
The backcourt without Clark relies heavily on Kelsey Mitchell, who put up 30 points in the last matchup against the Mercury. Lexie Hull will also be expected to step up and possibly make some big shots if need be — she recorded 9 points in the most recent Phoenix matchup. The Mercury allow the most 3-pointers to be made against them in the league — players like Hull, Mitchell and even Sophie Cunningham could use that to their advantage tonight.
While the Fever are coming off a high-scoring loss, the Mercury are coming off a brutal low-scoring 77-66 loss to the Seattle Storm. They will have to play better offensively tonight. In the most recent matchup against the Fever, the Mercury took home an 111-109 win. While Valeriane Ayayi had a 19-point performance against Indiana and that might be needed again tonight, this Phoenix team will always breathe through Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas in big games. I expect those two stars to have 20+ point performances tonight if they want to take home the season series.
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