Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are one of the most impressive teams after the Olympic break. Their on-court chemistry has vastly improved, as they rank fourth offensively. Meanwhile, the Dallas Wings are coming off a three-game winning streak after handling business against the LA Sparks, Las Vegas Aces and Minnesota Lynx.
After the Fever secured their 100-81 victory over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, they went up in the league standings to sixth. Following five straight losses to start the season, the young Indiana team has been on tremendous momentum to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Wings, on the other hand, are 10th in the WNBA standings. They rank eighth offensively and last defensively in the league.
It was a terrific show between the Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings in the first quarter. The back-and-forth action was electric as both teams didn't let up in their offensive barrage, but it was Dallas that closed the quarter with a four-point lead.
The Fever opened the second quarter with a 7-2 run to capture a one-point lead, after Kelsey Mitchell knocked down a jumper from beyond the arc. However, the lead didn't last long as the home team responded effectively to get the lead back after Arike Ogumnbowale converted on a lay-up attempt.
Around the 3:18 mark, ROTY candidate Caitlin Clark tied the game at 37 apiece with a timely three-point shot. After Fever center NaLyssa Smith gave the team the lead with a lay-up, Clark extended the lead to four points with her 10th bucket of the game.
However, the Dallas Wings didn't back down as they closed the first half with a 9-4 run to capture a one-point lead heading into the break.
To start the third quarter, the Indiana Fever would get the lead back for a brief moment, courtesy of Kelsey Mitchell’s jumper from beyond the arc and a putback attempt from NaLyssa Smith. However, Wings star Satou Sabally responded with her own three-point make to give her team a two-point lead around the 8:08 mark.
Around the 4:00 minute mark, the Dallas Wings had an eight-point lead over the young Indiana Fever squad. However, that wasn’t enough for Caitlin Clark and co. to back down, especially at this stage of the season. They went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to just one point.
However, it still wasn’t enough in the third quarter as the Wings would close it with a four-point lead. The fourth quarter continued the game’s trend of a high-octane offensive game with neither side backing down.
With 7:03 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Clark went human torch from beyond the arc as she knocked two straight three-pointers over the outstretched arms of her defenders. It wasn’t just the rookie who was pivotal in the team gaining late momentum but also Kelsey Mitchell’s timely shots from beyond the arc.
Aside from the team hitting big-time shots down the stretch, they also played excellent defense to hamper any comeback hopes of the Dallas Wings. The final score is 100-93.
Indiana Fever vs Dallas Wings Player Stats and Box Scores for Sep. 1
Indiana Fever stats and box score
Dallas Wings stats and box score
Indiana Fever vs Dallas Wings Game Summary
The Indiana Fever continue their hot streak by going 5-1 since the Olympic break. It was a thrilling ball game right from the jump as the offense showcased by both teams was humming nonstop.
Clark finished with an electric double-double performance of 28 points (52.6% shooting, including 45.5% from three-point range) and 12 assists. It was Kelsey Mitchell who led all scorers with a 36-point performance (54.5% shooting).
Meanwhile, Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally combined for 59 points (18-for-41 shooting) and 12 rebounds as the two top scorers for Dallas.