Fever lack 'competitive fire,' falter in Clark return

INDIANAPOLIS -- Caitlin Clark's instrumentality from a groin wounded was not capable to marque up for what manager Stephanie White called the Indiana Fever's "lack of competitory fire" that led to a 80-61 location nonaccomplishment to the Golden State Valkyries connected Wednesday.

"We struggled scouting-report wise. We struggled [with] personnel. We struggled to bash what the coaches asked of us," said Clark, who notched 10 points connected 4 for 12 shooting (2 for 5 connected 3s) successful her archetypal crippled since June 24. "And past overall, they conscionable played with much vigor and effort, and those are the things that conscionable can't happen."

Added White: "I'm not definite if it's not knowing the crippled plan... arsenic overmuch arsenic not executing the crippled plan. Our attraction to detail, our discipline. I felt similar our vigor and our competitory occurrence was not there, and that's disappointing."

The Fever (9-10) fell beneath .500 with the loss. They are 5-5 with Clark connected the level and 5-5 without her, including past week's Commissioner's Cup last triumph that did not number toward regular play standings.

Clark played conscionable nether 25 minutes connected Wednesday, besides compiling 5 rebounds, six assists and 4 turnovers. She present has 31 games successful her vocation with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, a league-record done a player's archetypal 2 seasons.

Clark, who besides missed 5 games crossed precocious May and aboriginal June with a quad injury, said it whitethorn instrumentality immoderate clip to get her upwind backmost but that she "felt beauteous good," playing successful shorter stints.

White was mostly pleased with Clark's return, adding determination were periods wherever Clark "really looked good." The Fever besides got their archetypal look astatine pairing Clark successful the backcourt with chap constituent defender Aari McDonald, who had taken implicit the relation during Clark's absence. Indiana started some guards and had Lexie Hull travel disconnected the bench.

"Maybe I'm naive, but I don't interest astir Caitlin getting backmost into the travel offensively," White continued. "I deliberation my biggest interest is erstwhile we reintegrate her, however bash we proceed to support our shot question and get the shot going not conscionable broadside to side, but baseline to baseline.

"I was a small spot acrophobic defensively, conscionable tons of movement, tons of lateral movement. I thought she looked bully astatine times, and I deliberation that that's conscionable gathering consistency and gathering her endurance and each of that."

Still, the team's violative accumulation connected Wednesday near overmuch to beryllium desired, which White attributed to the Valkyries' physicality. The Fever committed 14 turnovers, changeable conscionable 31% (their worst clip since July 2019) and were held to 19 combined points successful the 2nd and 4th quarters. Indiana was held to 26 overgarment points contempt starring the league successful overgarment scoring (roughly 40 PPG).

Indiana's decision marked its second-straight nonaccomplishment pursuing a beardown week where, without Clark, the Fever took down the top-ranked Minnesota Lynx successful the Commissioner's Cup last and past the Las Vegas Aces down their champion antiaircraft performances of the season.

"I deliberation our team, we person a batch of inconsistency," Hull said. "We raised to the juncture erstwhile we're playing for $30,000 [in the Cup final] and we request to bring that level of absorption and that level of vigor each azygous day... We truly request to regroup, crook the page, larn from this, and travel with a amended mindset connected Friday."

Added White: "I deliberation this is simply a radical that focuses, but you tin absorption and past you person to beryllium capable to spell retired and beryllium disciplined capable to execute it, right? And I'm not definite [why there's inconsistency]. As coaches, that's our occupation to fig it out."