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Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Can Fever still be a contender this season? 'You see it in spurts,' but that's not enough
BROOKLYN – For nearly three quarters, the Indiana Fever were in a rhythm. They were going shot-for-shot with the New York Liberty, the reigning champions and one of the best teams in the league. They had seven steals and forced 11 turnovers by halftime, leading by as many as seven points in the third quarter. Then, as quickly as they had it, they lost it. Starting around the three-minute mark of the third quarter, New York went on a 29-8 run over nine minutes of game time. They limited the Fever to just two field goals during that stretch, all while easily creating space for their own shots. 'I feel like they didn't really feel us in the second half like they felt us in the first half,' Fever forward Natasha Howard said after Tuesday's 98-84 loss. 'We let them take quick shots, and that let them get easy buckets on the offensive end, and we really didn't pay attention to the personnel, we really struggled with that. But New York is a really good team, a championship team for a reason.' These second-half breakdowns have become an unfortunate theme for the Fever. They'll start strong in the first half, bring a lead into halftime, build it up midway through the third quarter, then fall apart. It happened in San Francisco, when a 13-point third-quarter lead turned into an 11-point loss on June 19; again in Las Vegas, when an eight-point lead in the third turned into a seven-point loss on June 22; and a third time against Los Angeles on June 26, as a 10-point third quarter lead pivoted to a 10-point loss. Amid roster changes and injuries, the Fever can't seem to consistently put a full 40-minute game together. They've had some big wins, including the Commissioner's Cup over Minnesota (which doesn't count in league standings) and their first win over Las Vegas since 2019 on July 3, but that doesn't cover for the games where they have the win in their grasp, then flail. 'The difference in championship-caliber teams are those two or three minutes in a ballgame,' Fever coach Stephanie White said. 'You can't have the miscommunications, you can't have the breakdowns, you can't have the poor shot selection, playing outside yourself. Whatever it may be. Games and series are won and lost in those small margins.' So, that begs the question: after a lot of preseason hype, are the Fever actually championship contenders? Ahead of the season, national media had the Fever high on their championship boards. Taking into account the acquisitions Indiana made, like 16-year veteran DeWanna Bonner and three-time champion Natasha Howard, and the talent they were able to retain in eight-year veteran Kelsey Mitchell, a lot of people thought Indiana could contend alongside New York and Minnesota. That was even something star Caitlin Clark characterized as success for the Fever this season: 'a championship.' For multiple reasons, those talks have cooled since the season has gone on. Clark, who was in preseason MVP talks, has missed 11 games so far this season with various muscle injuries. Bonner only played nine games for the Fever before requesting a trade, and she was waived less than halfway through the season. 'That's for everybody else to discuss if we were really going to be a contender or not,' White said. 'Certainly, there's no substitute for experience, and Tash and Syd (Colson) are the ones that have championship-caliber experience. I do think the disruption, and players playing in different positions because of that disruption, hasn't allowed the continuity as much as we like, but you see it in spurts.' The Fever have only had four games where they had their entire roster — including Aari McDonald, a midseason signee after Bonner was waived — so far this season. And it may be a while, if at all this season, that they'll have their full roster back, depending on the severity of Clark's right groin injury. The standard for a successful year for the Fever may have wavered since the beginning of the season. Right now, at 12-12, they're tied for sixth in the standings and in the fight to keep a playoff spot. Still, they know the margin of error is low. And, injuries aside, they know they need to improve. 'I don't think we have wiggle room to figure out anything else,' said Mitchell, who scored a game-high 29 points Tuesday. 'It's a gut-check game every game. Everybody's trying to make the playoffs, everybody's trying to be a contender for something, and I think it all comes down to who's going to be the tougher team for 40 minutes.'
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever hold serve in WNBA Power Rankings after All-Star break
The second half of the WNBA season is upon us, and the Indiana Fever are looking to rattle off some wins to reclaim their spot among the league's best teams with a chance to make a deep postseason run. Unfortunately, Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark is being held out of their first action back from the All-Star break due to injury as she tries to recover for the stretch run. Without Clark, the Fever have been able to stay afloat, battling to a 12-11 record overall, which is not the most indicative of the talent lining their roster. Despite that, the Fever are holding serve in the most recent WNBA Power Rankings from ESPN, coming in at No. 4. 4. Indiana Fever (12-11) Previous ranking: 4 Next seven days: @ NY (July 22), vs. LV (July 24), @ CHI (July 27) How much of the season's second half will Caitlin Clark be able to play? She has been ruled out for Tuesday, which will mark the 11th regular-season game she's missed this year. She was also sidelined for the Commissioner's Cup final on July 1 and the All-Star Game. She is only 23 with many years ahead, so if her groin injury requires significant rest, it's possible the Fever could take a conservative approach and sit her indefinitely. - Michael Voepel, ESPN Caitlin Clark will miss the Indiana Fever's game against the New York Liberty tonight, July 22. Her next chance at a return comes on Thursday, July 24, when the Fever host the Las Vegas Aces. Should the Fever be extremely cautious with Caitlin Clark, her first action could be this upcoming weekend on July 27 when the Fever head to Chicago to take on Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
Indianapolis Star
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
WNBA standings, stats: Where teams are in playoff chase, player league leaders
We're past the halfway point of the WNBA season, and that means the push for the playoffs will start to heat up. The Indiana Fever are 12-11 in an up-and-down first half of the season, but did manage to snag the WNBA Commissioner's Cup title. Below are the league-wide standings and top-10s in player scoring, rebounding and assists: Top eight teams make WNBA playoffs. The Fever are 12-11 and sit in sixth place in the WNBA standings. Caitlin Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 13 games this season.
NBC Sports
18 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Uncertainty continues for Fever and Caitlin Clark as her healthy teammates carry their playoff hopes
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever thought Caitlin Clark's return might solve their wild first-half ride. They were getting healthy, beating good teams and starting to meet expectations. Then the two-time All-Star got hurt again in the final minute of a game at Connecticut. Indiana lost by double digits the next night to defending champion New York. Clark missed the All-Star festivities in Indianapolis and likely will sit out when the Fever again play the Liberty. It's all creating uncertainty about Clark and Indiana's championship aspirations. 'These soft tissue injuries sometimes nag until you can actually have time to really allow them to heal in the offseason,' Indiana coach Stephanie White said after practice. 'So we'll just take it one day at a time and we'll continue, as a group, to progress together.' Neither White nor Clark have provided a timetable for Clark's return. As a rookie, Clark helped the Fever snap a six-year playoff drought and during the three-game winning streak before her latest injury, she had 40 points, 29 assists, six steals and 10 turnovers in 79 minutes. Her name and that of the league's other superstars have packed arenas and been the focal point of broadcast deals. Amid a rash of injuries, the WNBA needs its top players on the court more than ever. According to The Next, which tracks injuries in the league, there have been more than 140 injuries so far this season. Those numbers fed into last weekend's debate over whether league officials should consider extending the season next year now that teams are playing 44 games instead of 40. 'I feel there's been quite a few injuries over the course of the beginning of this season for quite a few people,' Clark said, noting some injuries created minutes restrictions for other All-Star selections. 'A lot of people have been in the same boat as myself.' Simply extending the season creates yet another problem — competing against the NFL and college football telecasts deeper into September. That's something that could be resolved in a new collective bargaining agreement. Until then, though, Indiana must learn to deal with Clark's third absence this season, so far resulting in 10 missed games. Clark did not miss a single game in college or her rookie season with the Fever. Indiana has maintained a winning record (12-11) and playoff positioning despite the injuries. The Fever were also able to win the Commissioner's Cup over Minnesota with a 74-59 win without Clark. The team also overcame the departure of DeWanna Bonner, who lost her starting job after three games and played in only nine before being waived and returning to Phoenix. And, of course, it took time for everyone to get on the same page following a massive offseason overhaul that included the hiring of a new general manager, Amber Cox; the return of White — Indiana's original No. 22; and the addition of other players with title-winning experience. 'I think it's been a rollercoaster ride with peaks and valleys, injuries, switching lineups,' three-time All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell said. 'I think that's part of being a professional athlete. But I think you need to go through things like this to be one of the teams they talk about at the end of the season.' The Fever believes it still can be one of those teams. With Mitchell leading Indiana in scoring at 19.1 points per game and All-Star center Aliyah Boston showcasing a niftier passing game to go along with averages of 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, Indiana still has two of its foundational pillars on the court. Indiana also has more options such as forward Natasha Howard and backup guard Sophie Cunningham to help fill in the gaps until Clark returns. 'Consistency, attention to detail, making sure defensively we're a beast unit,' Cunningham said as she identified other needed fixes. 'I think it all starts on the defensive end with our intensity and our aggressiveness. When we do that, we tend to win those ballgames. You're going to have a little bit of slippage every now and then, but you can't have landslides.' Ultimately, though, the lingering question is whether Clark can stay healthy long enough to push Indiana into championship position. 'Working your way back into it is really difficult,' White said. 'She has to give herself some grace. She's coming back from an injury.'
Chicago Tribune
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Uncertainty continues for Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark as her healthy teammates carry their playoff hopes
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever thought Caitlin Clark's return might solve their wild first-half ride. They were getting healthy, beating good teams and starting to meet expectations. Then the two-time All-Star got hurt again in the final minute of last Tuesday's game at Connecticut. Indiana lost by double digits the next night to defending champion New York. Clark missed last weekend's All-Star festivities in Indianapolis and is likely to sit out Tuesday night when the Fever again play the Liberty. It's all creating uncertainty about Clark and Indiana's championship aspirations. 'These soft tissue injuries sometimes nag until you can actually have time to really allow them to heal in the offseason,' Indiana coach Stephanie White said after Sunday's practice. 'So we'll just take it one day at a time and we'll continue, as a group, to progress together.' Neither White nor Clark have provided a timetable for Clark's return. As a rookie, Clark helped the Fever snap a six-year playoff drought and during the three-game winning streak before her latest injury, she had 40 points, 29 assists, six steals and 10 turnovers in 79 minutes. Her name and that of the league's other superstars have packed arenas and been the focal point of broadcast deals. Amid a rash of injuries, the WNBA needs its top players on the court more than ever. According to The Next, which tracks injuries in the league, there have been more than 140 injuries so far this season. Those numbers fed into last weekend's debate over whether league officials should consider extending the season next year now that teams are playing 44 games instead of 40. 'I feel there's been quite a few injuries over the course of the beginning of this season for quite a few people,' Clark said Saturday, noting some injuries created minutes restrictions for other All-Star selections. 'A lot of people have been in the same boat as myself.' Simply extending the season creates yet another problem — competing against the NFL and college football telecasts deeper into September. That's something that could be resolved in a new collective bargaining agreement. Until then, though, Indiana must learn to deal with Clark's third absence this season, so far resulting in 10 missed games. Clark did not miss a single game in college or her rookie season with the Fever. Indiana has maintained a winning record (12-11) and playoff positioning despite the injuries. The Fever were also able to win the Commissioner's Cup over Minnesota with a 74-59 win without Clark. The team also overcame the departure of DeWanna Bonner, who lost her starting job after three games and played in only nine before being waived and returning to Phoenix. And, of course, it took time for everyone to get on the same page following a massive offseason overhaul that included the hiring of a new general manager, Amber Cox; the return of White — Indiana's original No. 22; and the addition of other players with title-winning experience. 'I think it's been a rollercoaster ride with peaks and valleys, injuries, switching lineups,' three-time All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell said. 'I think that's part of being a professional athlete. But I think you need to go through things like this to be one of the teams they talk about at the end of the season.' The Fever believes it still can be one of those teams. With Mitchell leading Indiana in scoring at 19.1 points per game and All-Star center Aliyah Boston showcasing a niftier passing game to go along with averages of 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, Indiana still has two of its foundational pillars on the court. Indiana also has more options such as forward Natasha Howard and backup guard Sophie Cunningham to help fill in the gaps until Clark returns. 'Consistency, attention to detail, making sure defensively we're a beast unit,' Cunningham said as she identified other needed fixes. 'I think it all starts on the defensive end with our intensity and our aggressiveness. When we do that, we tend to win those ballgames. You're going to have a little bit of slippage every now and then, but you can't have landslides.' Ultimately, though, the lingering question is whether Clark can stay healthy long enough to push Indiana into championship position. 'Working your way back into it is really difficult,' White said. 'She has to give herself some grace. She's coming back from an injury.'
