The incredible matchup that promised to be another chapter in the Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers rivalry fell short, as the Fever guard remains sidelined with a right groin injury, while the Dallas star delivered a strong performance with 16 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds in the 77-76 win.
Controversy quickly followed. Stephanie White and Sophie Cunningham questioned the officiating, claiming there was a “double standard” and that Bueckers received too many favorable calls. Cunningham was blunt on the Show Me Something podcast: “She’s a great player, but last night the refs gave her all the damn whistles.”
Kelsey Mitchell steps in to defend
However, Kelsey Mitchell offered a different perspective. After practice, she explained that the real issue was allowing Bueckers and Maddy Siegrist – who returned from injury with 22 points – to get comfortable early: “We took hits early and couldn’t recover. You can’t let players of that caliber get into rhythm.”
The numbers speak for themselves: before this game, Indiana hadn’t lost to Dallas all season, even without Clark on the court. This time, the defense fell short – something Mitchell sees as a key area to fix.
Indiana Fever has a fragile defense
Offensively, the Fever rank among the league’s best with 84.5 points per game and an offensive rating of 105.2. Mitchell leads with 20 points per game, while Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston contribute 11.5 and 15.1 respectively. Without Clark, the team remains competitive, but its Achilles’ heel is defense.
It’s been 16 games since Indiana held an opponent under 70 points, and in 5 of the last 11, they’ve allowed more than 95. Their paint defense is among the worst, giving up 37.7 points per game – a weakness that teams like the Los Angeles Sparks have exploited.
Indiana Fever must be dominant
Lexie Hull summed it up at the start of the season: “We have high standards and postseason goals – that doesn’t change.” To reach them, Indiana will need to close gaps in the paint and prevent opposing stars from taking over.
In their next matchup, the ones testing that defense will be Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. The big question: can the new additions patch up the defensive cracks? Fans are crossing their fingers that they can.
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