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Clark's Historic Performance Leads Fever to Game 2 Win Over Aces
Confirmed
In Short: Caitlin Clark delivered a historic performance on Tuesday, leading the Indiana Fever to a 99-89 victory over the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces in Game 2 of their best-of-three first-round series.
Clark, who fouled out with 2:45 remaining, finished with 27 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds, setting new playoff career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, and 3s.
Between her own baskets and assists, Clark was directly responsible for 24 of the Fever's 37 field goals and 58 points, tying for the most points created in a playoff game.
Clark's 15 assists also tied for the third-most in a playoff game in WNBA history, and she became the first player in WNBA history with a 25-point, 15-assist game.
Kelsey Mitchell added 26 points, while Aliyah Boston contributed 22 points, four rebounds, and five assists, as the Fever's Big Three combined for 75 of the team's 99 points.
After Clark fouled out and the Aces cut the Fever's lead to five, 92-87, with 2:11 to play, Boston responded with a tough bucket on the other end before Mitchell sealed the game at the free-throw line.
Offense was harder to come by for the Aces after they dropped 102 points in a blowout victory in Game 1.
Clark's performance was a stark contrast to Game 1, where she finished with 15 points, 10 assists, and three rebounds.
Clark's impressive stats came as her team desperately needed a Game 2 win to prevent elimination, down 0-1 in the best-of-three series.
Clark was named the AP's Comeback Player of the Year this past season, averaging 22.3 points, 8.3 assists, four rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game for the Fever.
A decisive Game 3 is set for Las Vegas on Thursday.
What this adds
The game was the first for both teams following a nearly three-week World Cup break.
Background
Las Vegas, colloquially shortened to Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. It is the 24th-most populous city in the United States, with 641,903 residents at the 2020 census.
What's confirmed
- On Wednesday, the team said Mabrey will miss the final four games of the season because of a right adductor injury.
- Kelsey Mitchell’s 33-point performance Friday night added another chapter to her record-setting season.
- The Indiana Fever guard became the WNBA’s single-season scoring leader in a 103-85 victory over the Toronto Tempo.
- A’ja Wilson, the reigning back-to-back WNBA MVP, set the previous mark in 2024, when she scored 1,021 points for the Las Vegas Aces.
- Mitchell’s teammate, Caitlin Clark, added 28 points Friday and matched her season high with 14 assists as Indiana earned its eighth win in 10 games.
What's still developing
- The Caitlin Clark experience was on full display on Tuesday as the league's most unique player led the Indiana Fever to a season-saving win over the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, 99-89, in Game 2 of their best-of-three first-round series.
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- After the Indiana Fever's disappointing 102-85 Game 1 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in the first-round WNBA Playoffs, Caitlin Clark called her team's performance "sloppy," even grading their defensive effort an " F." Game 2 seemed like a much different Fever team in front of the home crowd in Indiana, and Clark seemed ignited to lead her team, achieving a historic first-half performance.
- However, she outdid that stat line by the third quarter of Game 2.
- Riley Gaines and Louis Barker recap their courtside experience at the Indiana Fever game, from Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell’s standout performance to the very different atmosphere compared with Riley’s previous WNBA trip in Minneapolis.
- Clark went 2 for 8 from distance for her 14th double-double in her first game since helping the U.S.
- The game was the first for both teams following a nearly three-week World Cup break.
- 20, surpassing Caitlin Clark's previous mark of 769 points across 40 games in 2024 after being drafted No.