The Indiana Fever haven't had much time to revamp their game plan since Sunday's Game 1 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. The matchup quickly got out of hand, resulting in a 102-85 loss and putting Indy down 0-1 in the best-of-three first-round series.
Tonight, they'll look to extend the series and avoid an early exit. Their defense will be a major focus in Game 2. Offensively, the Fever didn't lack too much efficiency in the first matchup. They shot 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from the 3-point line. The problem arose when they let the Aces do whatever they wanted on offense. Vegas shot 59 percent from the field and 47 percent from the 3-point line.
The Aces 'Big 3' — A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray — averaged a plus-minus of plus-28. Stopping them will be crucial for the Fever tonight. Wilson also finished the night with 38 points. The Fever will need more production, either combined or from one of their stars, to keep up. While the Indiana injury report could hinder that objective, I wouldn't be too worried as a Fever fan.
Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston are probable for Fever vs. Aces tonight
Indiana's Game 1 leading scorers being on the injury report ahead of Game 2 could send some fans into a panic, understandably. But don't fret. Clark and Boston should both be available to play tonight, unless something unexpected happens.
For Clark, this has been a season-long situation. To make a long story short, back in May, Clark was a very late scratch from a matchup against the Portland Fire. The league took issue with the fact that she was never listed on the injury report leading up to the game despite having missed the prior day's practice. The league sent the Fever a warning on the matter. Head Coach Stephanie White said that from then on, Clark would be listed as probable to limit any future confusion or problems. She has only actually missed three games since this incident — you can count on her being on the court tonight, especially in the biggest matchup of the season.
During the Fever's regular-season finale against Minnesota, Boston was pulled out of the game at halftime with an apparent leg injury. After the game, White told the media, "Just a flare-up. Same lower-leg." Boston has been battling a lower-leg injury since the offseason, so White clarified that benching Boston was out of precaution.
Before Game 1, Boston was listed as questionable. Before tip-off, per Scott Agness, White told the media, "Aliyah's gonna give it a go. We're gonna do like we always do when she has a little flare-up... make a game-time decision and we'll adjust her minutes... she's played through this all year long so she's gonna be ready to go." We can assume that the same sentiment is shared for tonight's game and we'll be seeing Boston on the court.
Projected Fever starting lineup with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston vs. Aces
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Caitlin Clark | G | Raven Johnson |
Kelsey Mitchell | G | Sophie Cunningham |
Lexie Hull | G/F | Grace VanSlooten |
Makayla Timpson | F | Myisha Hines-Allen |
Aliyah Boston | C | Monique Billings |
It can be expected that the same starting five from Game 1 will hit the court to start Game 2 — unless White swaps Timpson and Billings.
Boston and Clark will be massive factors in the game tonight. In Game 1, Boston finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Clark finished with 15 points and 10 assists. She also committed 6 of Indiana's 17 turnovers. While the Aces also had 17 turnovers, they only conceded 18 points, while the Fever conceded 28 points off turnovers. White honed in on this after the game, crediting the turnovers as a turning point in the game that allowed Vegas to start pulling away.
In the post-game press conference, Clark described the Fever's play as "sloppy." She was also asked to grade Indiana's defensive efforts in Game 1. She simply responded, "an F."
"There's always microadjustments. Certainly, we need to prioritize some things we did on the defensive end of the floor. But we also need to prioritize offense... There's no defense for 28 points off of turnovers. We've gotta be better screen setters... our timing and our pace, because they're going to force us to play half-court," White said.
Tonight will be an uphill battle, but possibly we'll see some of those 'microadjustments' pay off for this Fever squad. They will also be playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which is always a tough environment for an away team to come into. We can imagine it will be at a whole new level during the playoffs.
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