1 year ago
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ESPN staffJul 13, 2025, 03:41 PM ET
The Indiana Fever were successful apical signifier connected Sunday. And arsenic a result, the archetypal nonrecreational matchup betwixt Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers wasn't adjacent close. Though Bueckers scored a game-high 21 point, the Fever matched their play precocious with a 102-83 triumph implicit the Dallas Wings.
The Fever led by 1 constituent aft the archetypal play but deed different cogwheel successful the 2nd quarter, outscoring the Wings 36-15. The Fever's 64 first-half points were a franchise grounds for astir points successful a half. Indiana's 64 points are the astir immoderate squad has scored successful a fractional this season, per ESPN Research.
Clark, who has missed 9 games this play owed to injury, finished with 14 points and 13 assists. It was her 17th vocation crippled with astatine slightest 10 assists, but archetypal with 10-plus assists and 2 oregon less turnovers.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 20 points connected 67% shooting (8 of 12). The Fever enactment 5 players successful double-figure scoring, had 29 assists (one shy of their franchise record) and 58 points successful the paint, their astir successful a crippled this season.
The 2 teams conscionable again connected Aug. 1 successful Dallas, a crippled that was recently moved to the American Airlines Center. In Dallas and Indiana's archetypal matchup this season, Clark didn't play owed to a near groin issue. But that didn't halt the Fever from beating the Wings 94-86 contempt Bueckers' 27 points and six assists.
Here's however Indiana bushed Dallas connected Sunday.
Jump to: Analysis and result | Relive the action
0:24
Showtime! Clark heaves a quality to Cunningham for a Fever bucket
Caitlin Clark launches a astir full-court dime to Sophie Cunningham for an awesome Fever bucket.
Dallas Wings vs.
Indiana Fever
Final: Indiana Fever 102, Dallas Wings 83
What does this triumph mean for Indiana? The Fever (11-10) extremity their five-game homestand connected a affirmative enactment with back-to-back wins implicit the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings. For a squad that earlier this week bemoaned its deficiency of consistency, the radical has to beryllium pleased with however it didn't fto its ft disconnected the state facing the six-win Wings. The violative output was peculiarly impressive, with 201 points tallied implicit the past 2 games. Coach Stephanie White has talked astir the value of stacking games similar this, truthful the trial present volition beryllium to decorativeness retired the pre-All-Star slate beardown -- the Fever play astatine the Connecticut Sun connected Tuesday and astatine the New York Liberty connected Wednesday -- and get aggregate games supra .500 for the archetypal clip this season.
What the crippled means for the Wings? The Wings request to fig retired their defense. It was pugnacious to ticker the mode they were perpetually bushed successful transition, peculiarly successful the 2nd quarter, by the Fever offense. Defense has been an Achilles bottommost for Dallas this season, but manager Chris Koclanes was hoping his squad would travel retired with much strength connected that extremity of the level aft giving up large nights to Sami Whitcomb and Rebecca Allen. The other happened successful the 2nd quarter, wherever Indiana went connected a 25-4 tally that efficaciously decided the game.
Will Arike Ogunbowale find a groove this season? She was 0-for-10 from the tract successful her archetypal crippled backmost from a thumb injury, but she was struggling to get incorporated into the discourtesy adjacent earlier she missed time. It'll beryllium absorbing to ticker however Koclanes' backcourt rotations germinate arsenic the play progresses, with rookies Aziaha James and JJ Quinerly seeing expanded roles successful caller weeks.
0:21
Bueckers snatches stone from Clark, finishes with and-1
Paige Bueckers snatches the shot from Caitlin Clark and takes it coast-to-coast for a Wings and-1.
How did Clark and Bueckers play? Clark was arrogant of however she managed Friday's crippled against Atlanta (12 points, 9 assists) and she one-upped that Sunday with a 14-point, 13-dime effort, bully for her 5th double-double of the play and 19th of her career. Her shooting inactive isn't rather arsenic businesslike arsenic she'd similar (4-for-12 from the field, 2-for-7 from 3), but Clark has reiterated that she's trying to enactment assured successful her abilities and successful the enactment she has enactment in. Another affirmative from Sunday: Clark made her beingness felt defensively with a team-best 5 steals.
Bueckers led each scorers with 21 points connected 9-for-15 shooting (2-for-4 from 3), her 17th consecutive crippled notching double-figures to commencement her career. Only 3 different players successful league past -- A'ja Wilson (2018), Candace Parker (2008) and Natalie Williams (1999) -- person had amended specified streaks. Turnovers were a spot of an contented for Bueckers (four, tying her vocation high) and the remainder of the Wings (18), which led to the Fever thriving successful modulation offense.
