The bear has been poked in Indiana.
Snapping their two-game losing streak, the Indiana Fever put on a clutch performance to win their first Commissioner’s Cup game, defeating the Atlanta Dream 83-71.
Though the Dream have proven to be one of the league’s stronger defensive teams this season, they fell short before halftime in other areas of the game, already racking up 10 turnovers, missing simple shots and failing to get clean looks.
They were also held to their fewest first-half point total (29) of
the season, with Indiana leading 38-29 at the break.
Entering the third quarter, Kelsey Mitchell scored 11 of her game-high 25 points, surpassing 5,000-career points and becoming the second Fever player to accomplish the feat, joining Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings. Mitchell also went 3-for-4 from 3-point range and recorded two assists.
Asked about her night’s achievements, here’s what Mitchell said:
For me, it’s less about the accolades and more about the journey and the process. I can recall what it (life) looked like and what I thought it was going to look like when it wasn’t so great for me. So, I try to keep a fine line being excited but also humbled, because I know what it was like and what work could do.
Mitchell also remarked on how she kept her love for the game through tougher times and how the league has helped shape her growth:
One thing is confidence, and I think over time the organization started investing and putting big pieces around me. Having Aaliyah Boston and having Caitlin Clark and Lexi Hall, and the young group that came in over the course of the years, has helped me be who I am.
Aliyah Boston followed with 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. She also set a career high in made 3-pointers, going 3-for-4 against Atlanta, expanding her range beyond the arc and raising her 3-point percentage to 35.3 percent.
After the game, Boston talked about expanding her shooting range, sharing:
I’ve worked on it (3-pointers) a lot, but I also think my teammates gave me the confidence..I get a lot of reps. That was something I worked on in the offseason and I still am repping it now. So, for me to see them go through tonight was really great.
Boston also explained in the postgame press conference how much she has witnessed Mitchell’s work ethic and the example she sets for the team:
To see her (Mitchell) get all of these accomplishments and pass all these milestones, it’s just so amazing as a teammate. Because I show up and Kelsey shows up every day. It doesn’t matter what’s happening in her world; she just shows up, and she gives us everything. So, for me, it just makes me so excited to have a leader and role model in Kelsey.
Caitlin Clark, though under the weather, also had a big night against Atlanta, putting her playmaking skills in motion to help lead Indiana to the win. She scored 17 points and added eight assists and seven rebounds. Her 3-pointer to extend Indiana’s one-point lead in the third quarter gave the team a boost and had Fever fans out of their seats as the team developed a newfound confidence.
Indiana made a point of securing the glass early to limit Atlanta’s second-chance opportunities, which have been key to the Dream’s success this season. Doing so strengthened the Fever’s offense as well, as they shot 47.6 percent from the field. Though they committed 15 turnovers to the Dream’s 14, they pushed ahead, rode the momentum and handed the Dream its third loss of the season.
Mitchell remarked that it was the team’s culture that changed the momentum of the week and helped the Fever push through the media noise surrounding the team, revealing:
I think that when you have hard conversations as a group, and pour into one another, you get days like this because you actually poured in and did the work the right way,…Talent gets us there, but I think team camaraderie and just being honest about where we are as a group keep us there.
Atlanta’s leader on the night was Jordin Canada with 13 points, seven assists and three rebounds, followed by Allisha Gray with 13 points and two assists and Naz Hillmon with 12 points and five rebounds. Angel Reese also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Fever.
