Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics face off again tonight in a rematch of their overtime thriller from May 15.
- Aliyah Boston for the Fever is listed as questionable while Caitlin Clark remains probable after recent back issues.
- Both teams need to shore up their bench production to support their star-heavy lineups in this crucial matchup.
The first meeting between the Fever and the Mystics, on May 15, ended in a 104-102 overtime win for Washington. Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark were the saving graces for Indiana, pushing things to extra time. Mitchell finished the night with 24 points and Clark put up a game-high 32 points, draining 7 3-pointers.
Now, the Fever have traveled to Washington to take on the Mystics again, with hopes to even up the season series. This time, expect Indiana to hone in on what hurt them in the first matchup — specifically, defense and making their free throws. Over the past few games, we've seen the Fever focus more on their defensive efforts. It will be crucial against a team with volume scorers, like Kiki Iriafen, Shakira Austin and Sonia Citron, who had 25 points in their first meeting.
The Mystics will have all hands on deck tonight. But the Fever might not. Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston are both listed on the injury report.
Caitlin Clark is probable for Fever vs. Mystics tonight
Back on Wednesday, May 20, Clark was a last-minute scratch before Indiana's matchup against the Portland Fire. She wasn't initially on the injury report, but she missed the game due to back soreness. ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported, "Fever coach Stephanie White said before the Fire game that Clark woke up Wednesday with stiffness and soreness in her back and that she did not practice Tuesday, instead getting treatment and going through workouts after practice."
The WNBA issued the Fever a warning for this, due to Clark not being listed on the report and being ruled out around 100 minutes before game time.
Per Chloe Peterson, White informed the media that Clark will likely be listed as probable for the remainder of the season. She stated, "Just to make sure that there’s clarity and no issues with league policy, I think that we will. I think you can expect to see it probable going forward.”
So expect to hear "Clark is probable for tonight's game," before each matchup, but more so as an insurance policy than anything else. She's been on the injury report for the past five games but has been in the starting lineup for each of them. Tonight will likely be no different. Expect to see Clark available against the Washington Mystics.
Projected Fever starting lineup with Caitlin Clark vs. Mystics
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Caitlin Clark | PG | Raven Johnson |
Kelsey Mitchell | SG | Tyasha Harris |
Lexie Hull | SG/SF | Sophie Cunningham |
Monique Billings | PF | Myisha Hines-Allen |
Aliyah Boston | C | Damiris Dantas |
The Fever should be with their primary starting lineup tonight, hinging on Aliyah Boston's availability. She's currently listed as questionable. These five players have started the last five games together, but the Fever have gone through a bit of a lull, losing three of their last four matchups. We haven't seen too much production from the bench recently.
While Mitchell and Clark are elite, the team can't necessarily survive on them alone — they need some help from their supporting cast, especially when their shots aren't falling like they typically would. In their most recent loss to the New York Liberty, Clark only put up 10 points, shooting 4-of-14 from the floor. In their previous loss to the Fire on May 30, Clark had a season-low 6 points, shooting only 1-of-7 from the field.
If Boston is unable to play tonight, the Fever's night will be harder. She's their primary scorer in the paint. She left Indiana's first matchup against Washington in the third quarter due to injury. While the team was able to get things close, they definitely could've used her presence in overtime. The need for bench production will increase for Indiana if Boston is out. But over their past two games, none of the Fever bench players have scored in double digits.
This was also the case during their first matchup against the Mystics. Sophie Cunningham and Raven Johnson are two bench players who can substitute for Mitchell and Clark. We've seen them come up big in a couple of Fever wins this season. They'll need to match Mitchell and Clark's energy, but if their production doesn't increase quickly, the bench will need to take advantage of scoring opportunities to make up for it.
Washington and Indiana are in similar situations — trying to get things back on track. The Mystics have lost four of their last seven games since last facing the Fever. They're looking to get back in the win column as they find more confidence and chemistry with each other. They will, like the Fever, rely heavily on their starting lineup with hopes that their bench can produce as well. Expect to see Iriafen and Shakira Austin getting active in the paint, while Citron tries to take advantage of Indiana's defense.
More WNBA news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google