With 27 seconds left in Saturday’s Indiana Fever win over the New York Liberty, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell checked out of the game. Indiana had a 14-point lead, and Fever coach Stephanie White was confident that her team could hold on for the win. It was a marked difference from the last time the two teams met, when the Liberty came back in the fourth quarter and held on in the final seconds for a 90-88 win.
Indiana learned valuable lessons in that May 24 loss to the Liberty, and that showed on Saturday as the Fever handed New York its first loss of the season, which could have major Commissioner’s Cup implications.
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The biggest difference between the two games was Clark’s 3-point shooting. In that first meeting, she went 2-11 from behind the arc, scoring 18 points. Natasha Cloud’s defense in that game locked Clark down, but this time, Clark was able to get free and find space to shoot. Saturday was her first game back after missing five games due to a quad injury, and she couldn’t miss, getting seven 3-pointers and scoring a total of 32. Even Breanna Stewart couldn’t help but laugh at one of Clark’s step-back threes.
Clark’s return also facilitated big games for Boston and Mitchell. For both players, defensive attention on Clark meant that they could find room to play their best games. Boston had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, plus 6 assists and 2 blocks, taking advantage of the Liberty not having Jonquel Jones on the court due to injury. Mitchell scored 22 points, her second-highest total of the season.
For New York, a chilly shooting day from beyond the arc did not help matters. Sabrina Ionescu hit four 3-pointers and scored 34 points, but her teammates struggled. The team went 6-29, and Marine Johannes was the only other Liberty player to find the basket, hitting two 3-pointers and scoring 10 points.
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Both games were fun and had a playoff atmosphere, and we’re likely to see more of that when they meet up again in July. The Fever and Liberty will play each other twice more in the regular season.
Yahoo Sports performer of the week: Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Perhaps it was her time playing with the Lunar Owls in Unrivaled, or perhaps it was the arrival of Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones in Atlanta, but Allisha Gray is playing at MVP levels so far this season. On Sunday, she scored 32 points against Washington, added three steals, and did all that while playing just 29 minutes. Much of Atlanta’s success this season can be attributed to Gray’s scoring and playmaking.
Game of the week
Phoenix Mercury at New York Liberty, Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime: Kahleah Copper made her season debut in Phoenix’s win over the Aces on Sunday, and we got a glimpse of what the Mercury can look like with Copper, Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas on the court together. The Liberty will be a formidable test, and the Liberty’s fans will make sure the game is loud. It should be a fun game to watch.
WNBA power rankings (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports illustration)
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Golden State Valkyries (5-5)
