Clark and Mitchell lead Indiana to victory and surpass it with a record over .500
DALLAS – The Indiana Fever avenged their July loss to the Dallas Wings by beating them 100-93 on their home court for their 17th win of the season.
The Fever’s current record is 17-16 and they are sixth in the WNBA standings – putting them firmly in the race for the playoffs.
Here are three observations:
Fever value: Indiana Fever vs. Dallas Wings live score updates, stats and highlights by Caitlin Clark
Indiana sets winning record in August for first time since 2016
It’s been a long time coming for the Fever to do this. Eight years, to be exact. The Fever’s win over the Wings gives them a 17-16 record – the first time they’ve had a winning record in August or later since 2016.
Fever recording: When was the last time the Indiana Fever were above .500?
Technically, the last time the Fever ever had a win was in 2019, when they started the season 4-3. But that Fever team also finished the season 13-21 – something this year’s team has already far surpassed.
With this post-Olympics resurgence, the Fever are on a clear upward trajectory. They are 6-1 in seven games since the league restarted, including two wins over teams that have already made the playoffs. After missing the playoffs for eight years, the Fever now have a game advantage over the Phoenix Mercury, putting them in the 6th place playoff seed.
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell score 63 points together
Kelsey Mitchell continues to set a franchise record by scoring her seventh consecutive 20-plus point game, maintaining a Fever record she broke three games ago. Mitchell has scored 20 or more points in every Fever game since the Olympic break.
Mitchell finished the game with 36 points (two shy of her career high of 38) after hitting 12 of 22 shots from the field. Combined with rookie Caitlin Clark’s 28 points, it gave the Fever an unstoppable backcourt presence against the Wings.
And the duo has played so well together since early July – when things really took off for the Fever. According to the WNBA’s Mark Schindler, Clark and Mitchell have averaged 44.3 points per game (22.2 for Clark, 22.1 for Mitchell) in the 12 games the Fever have played since early July. They are the highest-scoring duo in the league during that span.
Mitchell’s goals have been paramount for the Fever during this post-Olympic era. As a seven-year veteran, Mitchell is the constant the Fever needed to succeed.
Arike Ogunbowale leads the Wings with over 30 points
At one point in the first quarter, after Wings player Arike Ogunbowale hit her fourth three-pointer, Mitchell was speechless. Instead, she looked over at coach Christie Sides, who was standing near the Fever bench, and shrugged dejectedly.
There was no way to defend the All-Star Game MVP. Frankly, not many people can – she scored 34 points in one half of the All-Star Game to win MVP honors.
At 5’8″, Ogunbowale is undersized for the WNBA, but she makes up for it with her speed and playmaking ability. That was evident in Dallas’ first meeting with Indiana – she scored 24 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists, playing all but 20 seconds of the Wings’ 101-83 victory.
This time, she scored 24 points in the first half alone – more than half of Dallas’ 46 points in the first 20 minutes.
Mitchell and defenseman Lexie Hull shared the task of guarding Ogunbowale, but the brunt of the work fell on Mitchell as Hull was busy with Wings forward Satou Sabally.
Ogunbowale’s shooting dropped off a bit in the second half – just enough for the Fever to hold on to the lead at the end of the game. Ogunbowale finished the game with 34 points on 12 of 25 shooting, including 9 of 16 three-pointers.
