INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark admitted she was exhausted during Wednesday night’s game, following their 86-75 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. At the post-game press conference, she acknowledged her fatigue. Clark took a season-high 22 shots, making only 6, and struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 1 of 10 attempts, marking her worst performance from deep this season. In short, it was a rough night for the Rookie of the Year.
“It’s just part of the game,” Clark reflected afterward. “Overall, I didn’t think I played badly. As a team, we really struggled with shots that we had been making since the start of the second half. They’re going to be physical with me, which can wear you down over the course of the game. I even took myself out in the first quarter.”
With just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Fever down by six, Clark went head-to-head with Aces guard Chelsea Gray. Clark attempted to drive to the basket, cut back, and then drove again, bumping into Gray in an effort to draw an and-1 call. Gray fell to the floor, but the refs called it an offensive foul against Clark.
Clark was visibly frustrated, loading the ball as if to throw it soccer-style before letting it drop to her waist. Teammate Temi Fagbenle approached to ensure Clark didn’t receive a potential sixth technical foul. From a distance, Clark raised her arms in apparent disbelief, signaling her frustration.
Earlier in the second quarter, Clark had smiled and shook her head when called for another offensive foul.
“Honestly, they’re all really good defenders,” Clark said about Las Vegas. “The offensive fouls can be surprising at times. I feel like I get held and hit quite a bit during games. It is what it is—apparently, they see something different. Las Vegas is going to be physical, and they’ll do it again. It worked, but it’s what I should expect by now.”
Fever forced to deal with foul trouble, Aces hold consistent lead
During the first and third quarters, the Fever and Aces were evenly matched, each scoring 43 points. However, in the other periods, Las Vegas outscored Indiana 43-32. This was partly due to Fever starters Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston being in foul trouble, which kept them sidelined for much of the second and fourth quarters, respectively. Although the bench performed adequately, unconventional rotations disrupted the offense.
Since the Olympic break, the 8-3 Fever have heavily relied on their starters for scoring. While this isn’t inherently problematic, it becomes a liability when players like Caitlin Clark shoot under 30% and Boston struggles offensively. In contrast, MVP candidate A’ja Wilson shone with 27 points and 12 rebounds in her return from injury. The Aces’ bench also outscored the Fever’s bench 30-11.
“We’re working on making those adjustments,” said Fever head coach Christie Sides. “The challenge is that this has been our approach for a while. Caitlin, Kelsey, and others have been logging significant minutes, and it’s tough to make major changes when things have been functioning a certain way.”
Caitlin Clark, Fever rematch Las Vegas Aces at home Friday, chance for redemption
The positive takeaway for the Fever is that they were not overwhelmingly defeated by the Aces, the fourth-best team in the league. While the Aces consistently held a lead of seven to nine points, the Fever remained within striking distance throughout the game. Before Wednesday night’s matchup, both Sides and Clark mentioned treating these games as a “series” similar to the playoffs.
Indiana will face Las Vegas again on Friday night, reinforcing the “series” approach. With the playoffs starting in about 11 days and being a best-of-three format, Friday’s game can be seen as a hypothetical elimination scenario. The Aces and the Minnesota Lynx, who also have MVP candidates, have made their mark by securing victories at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, adding pressure on the Fever.
