Fever Crush Wings as Caitlin Clark Overshadows Paige Bueckers
The Indiana Fever are pushing the pace and moving the ball.
Coming off the heels of a season-high 27 assists in their 99-82 win over the Atlanta Dream on Friday night, the Indiana Fever continued to share the ball in textbook fashion in Sunday's 102-83 romp over the visiting Dallas Wings.
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Indiana tied a franchise record Sunday with 30 assists. An offense predicated on ball movement is something that head coach Stephanie White has been trying to implement for most of the season, and it's been clicking during the past two games.
'Thirty assists on 40 made shots is about as good as it's gonna get,' Fever superstar Caitlin Clark told reporters after the game. 'That's really impressive, and I just think it shows the selflessness of this group. That's something that Steph always preaches and something that she's always talking about … how many of our field goals are assisted.'
Indiana improved to 11-10 with the win, tied for sixth in the league. But the Fever are just 1.5 games behind fourth-place Seattle in the top-heavy WNBA standings.
Here are several observations from Indiana's win.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark claps in excitement during her team's game against the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 13, 2025.Grace Hollars / IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Caitlin vs. Paige
Wings rookie guard Paige Bueckers played a solid game from a scoring standpoint. She tallied a game-high 21 points, and you might even say she's the only Wing who showed up in Indy. Clark, however had a better overall game — scoring 14 points and dealing 13 assists. In addition to her double-double, Clark was active on the defensive end with five steals and a huge block in the second quarter which led to a bucket in transition.
The matchup didn't disappoint. Bueckers gave buckets, but the Fever defense contained everyone else.
0.5 seconds or less … WNBA style
In the NBA, the Golden State Warriors' read-and react motion offense has a principle of making the decision to pass, drive or shoot within a half second. Indiana appears to be adopting that same principle. White wants to have her players to make a decision within half a second to prevent stalling, and it's been a point of emphasis. By making quick, efficient decisions with the ball, the Fever scored 36 points in the second quarter — tying the mark for the most points by any WNBA team in a quarter this season. White credits her squad's efficiency in moving the ball.
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'I like the fact that we had a 75% assist rate — 30 assists on 40 made field goals is really good,' White said after the game. 'We got it moving. We were playing close to point-five basketball in the second quarter.'
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers embrace ahead of their game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 13, 2025.
Wings active at the deadline?
Dallas, at 6-16 is just one spot removed from the WNBA cellar. Despite having a seemingly competent and solid roster on paper, the Wings don't appear to be improving. Although Bueckers has hit her stride, she isn't getting the help she needs on both ends of the court.
That said, there is still plenty of ball left to play. With a talent such as Bueckers and the desire to get the right players around her, look for Dallas to be active at the trade deadline. The Wings would be wise to acquire players that mesh with their superstar rookie. Even if they don't make a playoff push this season, they could build strong chemistry and be ready to compete next season.
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Related: 25 Best WNBA Players of All Time
Related: Caitlin Clark Sets New WNBA Record With Monster Performance vs. Wings
Related: Caitlin Clark Leaves No Doubt in Her Opinion of Paige Bueckers
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
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