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Caitlin Clark had an underwhelming outing against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, but her $214,666 teammate, Natasha Howard, saved the day for the Indiana Fever. Indiana could have been on the brink of another loss against its East rival after Clark managed a measly 11 points, four rebounds and six assists, shooting 4 of 11, including 0-for-5 from deep.
However, Howard stepped up for the Fever with a season-high 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists, shooting 12 of 17. The Fever won the contest 81-76 despite trailing by four with 2:32 left and by nine points at one stage. Indiana could have been down 1-2 on the season if this game turned out to be another loss, which would have raised eyebrows over its ceiling with a roster this good.
Nevertheless, the Fever's star power and depth around the big three showed out with Howard's excellent outing. Here's how fans reacted to Howard compensating for Clark's off-night.
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One user wrote:
"Amazing game tonight and we really needed it with a Caitlin stinker"
Another said:
"Saved us on a night our big 2 were out there doing cardio. @THoward_6 I love you"
One fan added:
One user demanded DeWanna Bonner to show her potential:
"Thank god, now send this to dewanna bonner."
One fan tweeted:
Fever flex depth as Caitlin Clark struggles
The Indiana Fever made key offseason acquisitions to improve their depth. That's exactly what Thursday's win was all about. As Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston (four points) struggled to get going, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull picked up the slack.
Cunningham, making her Fever debut after missing the first two games with injury, tallied nine points on her return, shooting 3 of 6. She also had six rebounds and three assists. Cunningham impacted the game beyond the box scores with her defense and hustle plays.
Meanwhile, Hull had 10 points, four assists and two steals on 4 of 7 shots. She also impacted the game with her two-way play like Cunningham.
Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston weren't as effective for most of the game, but the star duo stepped up in the clutch. Clark made one of two free throws with a minute left to give the Fever a two-point lead and later connected with Boston on a pick-and-roll with 36 seconds left to take a three-point lead.
