Fever fail to handle Dream's 'physicality' in loss

INDIANAPOLIS -- Stephanie White knew however to bushed the Indiana Fever past play arsenic manager of the Connecticut Sun. She went 5-1 against them, including a 2-0 playoff bid sweep.

Now coaching the Fever this WNBA season, White knows what opponents volition effort to bash against Indiana. The Atlanta Dream did it Tuesday successful a 91-90 triumph astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

"We didn't grip their physicality. That's going to beryllium the M.O. against america each twelvemonth long," White said. "Teams are going to beryllium physical. That's however I'd play us.

"They're going to propulsion us, they're going to shove us, they're going to clasp us. They're going to bash immoderate they're allowed to get distant with, and we person fig retired however to usage that physicality against them."

The Dream, who besides person a caller manager this play successful Karl Smesko, added 2 seasoned station players successful escaped agency, some of whom played good Tuesday. Brittney Griner had 21 points and 8 rebounds and Brionna Jones 19 and 13. It was a beardown bounce-back for Atlanta, which opened the play with an 94-90 nonaccomplishment astatine Washington connected Friday.

The Dream and Fever conscionable again Thursday, this clip successful Atlanta. That crippled was moved to State Farm Arena, which holds astir 17,000 fans, to accommodate the expected ample assemblage that Fever prima Caitlin Clark usually draws. The Dream play astir of their location games astatine Gateway Center Arena, which holds astir 3,500.

Clark, aft opening the play with a triple-double successful the Fever's 35-point triumph implicit Chicago connected Saturday, had different beardown show Tuesday: 27 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds. Teammates Aliyah Boston (24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) and Kelsey Mitchell (24 points) besides played well. But arsenic a team, the Fever made conscionable 16 of 26 escaped throws, portion Atlanta made 25 of 32.

"Today we failed miserably arsenic a radical due to the fact that determination were definite things acceptable successful chromatic for america to beryllium effectual from 4th 1 to 4th 4," Mitchell said. "And you guys didn't spot what it was expected to look similar until 4th 3½.

"So it kinds of conscionable lies successful the subject close now: awareness, knowing personnel. Certain worldly we person to location successful connected to beryllium successful. Our lulls were excessively low. They can't beryllium that low. We don't person that borderline for error."

Still, contempt trailing astir of the game, the Fever battled backmost to outscore Atlanta 25-15 successful the 4th quarter. With 21.1 seconds left, Indiana took its archetypal pb -- 90-89 -- since the game's opening handbasket erstwhile Boston made the 2nd of 2 escaped throws.

But past Rhyne Howard, who finished with 20 points, was fouled and made some escaped throws for Atlanta.

Indiana inactive had a accidental to triumph with the shot and 9.1 seconds left. But Natasha Howard had a changeable blocked and past missed connected a follow-up attempt. Clark said these are situations successful which the Fever volition grow.

"We wanted to triumph this game, but this is large for our team," Clark said. "A small adversity, however are we going to respond? I person to springiness my squad a batch of credit; we ne'er gave up. We recovered a mode to get backmost successful it.

"We person a accidental to spell determination and play them [again]. We tin get a small redemption if we spell down determination and play well."