Caitlin Clark Scores Career-High as Fever Defeat Wings for No. 6 Seed

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever delivered an outstanding performance on Sunday, achieving remarkable success both personally and for her team. The star guard, selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, scored a career-high 35 points, leading the Fever to a narrow 110-109 victory over the Dallas Wings. This crucial win enabled the Fever to secure the No. 6 seed for the upcoming playoffs, while Clark also made history by surpassing Seimone Augustus as the WNBA’s rookie scoring record holder.

After struggling with her shooting against the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces in previous games, Clark initially missed her first three attempts in this matchup as it seemed her difficulties might continue. However, her fortunes changed with a single 3-pointer that ignited her performance for the remainder of the game.

Reflecting on her game during the postgame interview, Clark expressed that seeing the ball go through the hoop provided a much-needed boost. “I still had a few in and outs where I was like, ‘Man, how’s it not going in,’ but I felt like I played a good game,” she remarked, adding that her shot felt good overall.

Clark’s most notable stretch occurred midway through the fourth quarter. She scored 11 consecutive points for the Fever, transforming a tied game into a nine-point advantage for her team. Her performance included back-to-back 3-pointers, finishing the game with an impressive total of six three-pointers, just one short of her career-high from beyond the arc.

Although the Wings made efforts to re-enter the game, aided by some crucial turnovers from Clark in the closing moments, her contributions were substantial in securing the win. Clark either scored or assisted on 19 of the Fever’s 26 points in the crucial fourth quarter.

With her 35 points, Clark has tied for the seventh-most points scored by a rookie in WNBA history, a feat not achieved since Chennedy Carter in 2020. Moreover, she is the first rookie in league history to record at least 35 points, five assists, and five three-pointers in a single game.

The victory marked a significant milestone for the Fever as they clinched their 20th win of the season, their first since 2015. Having secured a playoff spot earlier, the team now awaits confirmation of their first-round opponent. The likely adversary is the Connecticut Sun, who have battled the Fever closely this season, holding a 3-1 advantage. Nevertheless, three of those wins occurred during the Fever’s challenging start to the season, which saw them go 3-10. Their latest matchup, however, resulted in a victory for the Fever.

The WNBA utilizes a unique 2-1 format for the first round of playoffs, with the higher seed hosting the first two games. Consequently, if the lower seed manages to win one of those contests, they will host the decisive Game 3, an outcome that would be particularly advantageous for the Fever. This season, they set an attendance record and have a favorable 6-3 home record post-Olympic break.

Expressing her gratitude towards the Fever fans, Clark said, “I’m really thankful for these fans. It’s been a fun season inside here at home and hopefully we can bring the playoffs back here a few times for them as well.”