The Fever finished August with five wins and just one loss
As the historic WNBA season enters its final stretch, five teams have already secured their playoff spots after yesterday’s games. With a crushing 100-81 victory for the Indiana Fever (16-16) over the Chicago Sky (11-20), Caitlin Clark’s team moved into sixth place, tied with the Phoenix Mercury and five games back in the eighth place. Barring something extraordinary, the Fever are poised to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, displaying their best basketball in years, thanks in large part to Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark’s Impact
Any doubts about Caitlin Clark’s impact on the league are long gone. This year’s WNBA Draft was the most watched in history and the All-Star Game had a record number of votes and viewers. Yesterday’s game also featured the most expensive tickets in WNBA history, with an average price of $334. The fans clearly felt they got their money’s worth, as Sky supporters gave Clark a standing ovation when she left the game with 3 minutes 52 seconds from the fourth quarter and Fever 27 points ahead – a tribute to a player who has become fast. a sense of league, or as we say in my city, of Caesar being Caesar.
The applause took place on the biggest stage of Clark’s career, in the Angel Reese Hall, which is often considered his “nemesis”. The most expensive ticket in WNBA history paid off as fans witnessed Clark’s career-high 31 points, 12 assists and 4 rebounds performance. It was Clark’s fifth game of the year with 20+ points and 10+ assists, the most such games in a single season in WNBA history, and her third game of 30 or more points this season. Clark currently leads the league in assists (8.3 per game), is second in minutes played (35.3) and ninth in points (18.4), as he continues to break records. In his previous game, he broke Rhyne Howard’s rookie record for three-pointers made in a season, set in 2022 with 86, and now leads the league with 93 triples this season.
Fever Heating Up at the Right Time.
The Indiana Fever have won five of their last six games and seven of their last ten. Clark’s failure to compete in the Olympics gave him a mental and physical break that paid off in the most important moment of the season. Clark and his team managed to overcome a difficult start to the season (2-8). Kelsey Mitchell, who has scored more than 20 points in six straight games, fills her role as Clark’s “Robin” and the rest of the team is in full shape.Next game tomorrow on the road against to the Dallas Wings. (9-22), followed by a six-game home streak where they turned their home court into a fortress, winning nine of their last ten games. Between those six games, the Fever will face two potential playoff opponents: the Minnesota Lynx (23-9) and the Las Vegas Aces (19-12). Those teams feature Olympic medalists and two of the favorites for the MVP award with Caitlin Clark-Napheesa Collier of the Lynx and A’ja Wilson of the Aces, with Wilson the likely winner.
