Fever bounce back behind 'floor general' Clark

INDIANAPOLIS -- Entering Friday's matchup against the Atlanta Dream, the Indiana Fever were hopeless for a confidence-boosting win, peculiarly coming disconnected Wednesday's 19-point nonaccomplishment to the Golden State Valkyries that defender Kelsey Mitchell deemed a "butt-whooping."

Indiana got the bounce-back it was hoping for: The Fever cruised to a 99-82 dub implicit the fifth-place Dream -- a radical who'd been a hard matchup for them earlier this play -- to get backmost to .500 (10-10) with 3 games near earlier the All-Star break.

After bemoaning their inconsistency earlier this week, the Fever showcased the violative firepower that, with a steadfast Caitlin Clark and erstwhile firing connected each cylinders collectively, makes them 1 of the astir potent squads successful the league. Indiana's 59 second-half points marked the astir points the franchise has scored successful immoderate fractional this play and were tied for their astir successful immoderate fractional successful the past 7 seasons. Their 99 full points reflected their second-best scoring output connected the season, portion their 11 3-pointers were tied for their second-most successful a crippled this year.

"I thought we conscionable played with a truly large pace," Clark told ESPN. "We moved the ball, we chopped hard, which opened up the 3-point enactment for us, and past we knocked down immoderate shots, but besides I thought our defence was truly good. I deliberation it was some sides of the ball. It benignant of felt similar however we should get backmost retired determination and play each azygous game."

"Our squad has capable violative threats that we should person 5 to six radical successful double-figures each azygous nighttime erstwhile we determination the ball," added Sophie Cunningham, who finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. "When the shot is popping, we're a truly hard squad to guard."

In her 2nd crippled backmost from a five-game lack with a groin injury, Clark finished with conscionable 12 points connected 5 for 17 shooting (1 for 7 from 3) but was astir pleased with however she directed the offense, wherever she chipped successful 9 of their 27 assists connected 35 made shots.

"I cognize [my shot] is close determination and it's going to fall, but I thought honestly this is astir apt 1 of the champion games wherever I've conscionable managed the full gait of the crippled and managed the mode we request to play, particularly successful the 2nd half, took attraction of the shot truly well," Clark said. "I thought I was conscionable a truly bully level wide tonight, and I deliberation that's thing I tin beryllium much arrogant of than making shots. That's precisely what this squad needed."

Clark -- who additionally missed 5 games successful May/June with a quad contented -- is present 4 for 35 connected 3-pointers successful her past 5 games (three of which were successful June, anterior to being sidelined with injury). That 11.4% clip is the worst 3-point tract extremity percent implicit a five-game span successful WNBA past (minimum 35 attempts). The prima guard, whose 3-point shooting has agelong been a hallmark of her game, showed immoderate vexation passim the evening arsenic she struggled to person from deep. But erstwhile she was not uncovering her teammates, she besides recovered occurrence attacking the rim against Atlanta's pressure.

"I'm not disquieted astir Caitlin's shot," manager Stephanie White said. "She's recovering from injury. She plays heavy, hard minutes. Every antiaircraft scout, she's the apical of the scouting report. So her changeable prime that she's getting has not been great. We're conscionable truthful utilized to her making pugnacious shots, and to beryllium capable to bash that portion she's recovering from wounded is going to beryllium much difficult. That's portion of the crushed that we privation to effort to marque her beingness easier.

"For her to enactment diligent ... we conscionable person to assistance navigate her ain frustration. She's a perfectionist, arsenic astir elite players are, and she needs to beryllium capable to springiness herself grace successful those moments."

Atlanta (12-8) had overmuch of the momentum early, buoyed by a blistery shooting nighttime from seasoned defender Jordin Canada. Canada caught occurrence successful the archetypal half, wherever she knocked down six of her 9 3s and went into the locker country with 26 points -- some of which were already career-highs. Though the Dream led by arsenic galore arsenic 7 successful the 3rd quarter, Indiana kicked its discourtesy to different cogwheel arsenic the framework went on, outscoring Atlanta 39-19 and hitting 56% of its shots successful the last 13:37 of the game.

"We were a small spot lackadaisical successful our box-outs and allowed them to get second-chance opportunities," Canada said. "And successful the 4th quarter, we conscionable miscommunicated connected a batch of things. It started successful the 3rd 4th and conscionable continued into the 4th fourth and we weren't capable to set similar we should have."

Added Brittney Griner: "Every possession matters. Those small lapses that we had... they're a bully squad and they capitalized connected it. If we play similar this against immoderate squad successful the league, you cognize this is the outcome."

The Fever said doubling down defensively helped substance their offense. As portion of that, they slowed down Canada, who managed conscionable 4 points successful the 2nd half.

"I deliberation erstwhile the shot pings and we get to 2 and 3 sides, you get to spot much of who we are," said Kelsey Mitchell, who paced the squad with 25 points. "And I deliberation that's tied with however effectual our defence tin be."

Trying to physique consistency volition stay a absorption for the Fever entering the last crippled successful their existent five-game homestand, successful which they've gone 2-2. The Dallas Wings, led by 2025 No.1 prime Paige Bueckers, travel to municipality for a Sunday day tilt connected ABC.

"This is [our 2nd game] with our full roster, with everyone successful our rotation," White said. "I deliberation gathering consistency successful habits for us, continuing to enactment consistency successful rotation, present that [Clark]'s back, present that [Damiris Dantas]'s back, what does it look like...it's 1 game, it was a large one, we needed it, but we've got to proceed to stack days and physique connected it."