Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston score triple-doubles, beat LA and reach the playoffs
Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston score triple-doubles, beat LA and reach the playoffs
INDIANAPOLIS – The emotional rollercoaster of the WNBA season is physically and emotionally exhausting.
Despite a player’s best efforts, some games are more important than others, and after securing their first playoff berth since 2016, the Indiana Fever entered Wednesday’s game against the last-place Los Angeles Sparks like a team with its eyes set on the postseason.
Eleven turnovers in the first half put Indiana behind. The surging Fever looked uncoordinated and out of sync, but they overcame a slow start and pulled away in the second half to earn a 93-86 victory.
“I think we could have come out with a little more energy,” Fever guard Caitlin Clark said. “I thought we looked a little listless, and I don’t think it was because we were content with being in the playoffs or anything like that. I’m just not sure our energy was where it needed to be.”
“I think we could have handled it a little better. We weren’t always on the same wavelength, and I think that started from the beginning, and we sometimes didn’t play as fast as we normally do.”
Emotional disappointments have been stumbling the Clark-led Fever all season. Clark’s first career triple-double against the New York Liberty in early July ended a nine-game losing streak against New York. The win was followed by a loss to the struggling Washington Mystics. The Fever rebounded with two impressive wins against the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx respectively, but lost to the struggling Dallas Wings before the Olympic break.
The Fever have played at the level of their opponents at times, but during their current five-game winning streak they have shown that they can flip a switch and shut down a team when needed.
Aliyah Boston turned things around in the second half. The second-year player scored ten points and grabbed eight rebounds after halftime. NaLyssa Smith contributed 13 points, four rebounds and three blocks.
Fever coach Christie Sides said the Fever needed to refocus on getting the ball inside against the Sparks. Ultimately, Sides admitted the team needed an emotional reset after the high that comes from making the playoffs.
“(The Sparks) made (shots). They kept up with our shots. I didn’t feel like we were as good on defense as we usually are,” Sides said. “I didn’t hear us talk as much as we usually do.”
“I think there was a lot of emotion involved today as well that maybe played a role as we were trying to get going for the game tonight. … The playoff win, they were excited and that’s huge for us. So I think that had a little bit to do with it, but that’s no excuse. It was just a tough battle and we pulled through it.”
