Kelsey Mitchell has grow to be the right backcourt working mate with Caitlin Clark and the pair have led the Indiana Fever‘s resurgence post-Olympic break.
The workforce has gained six of its seven video games and is over .500 for the primary time since June 13, 2019. The Fever, who improved to 17-16 with Sunday’s win over Dallas, had gone an WNBA-record 189 straight video games with no profitable file, in response to the Elias Sports activities Bureau.
Indiana at present is sixth within the standings and shutting in on its first playoff berth since 2016. Mitchell is without doubt one of the few gamers left on the roster from the Fever’s lean years.
“I do know what the underside appears like, and I don’t wish to be there no extra,” Mitchell mentioned.
Mitchell has scored over 20 factors in all seven video games because the almost month-long break for the Paris Video games. She’s averaging 28.3 factors over that span — second finest within the league behind A’ja Wilson. Total, Mitchell is having her finest season scoring, averaging 19 factors. She was Indiana’s main scorer final season when she averaged 18.2 factors per sport.
“I feel Kelsey has been enjoying actually good basketball. She solely makes my life simpler when you’ve that 1-2 combo within the backcourt,” Clark mentioned. “It’s lot of enjoyable for myself to play that means. I feel we’re simply enjoying up-tempo.”
Mitchell agrees and has been having enjoyable enjoying with Clark, who leads the league in assists with 8.4 a sport.
“I feel that me and Caitlin, in addition to our group, I feel we simply discovered a means,” Mitchell mentioned. “I feel our tempo is type of setting us other than a number of completely different groups. Since you prefer to get the ball up and down the courtroom at such a excessive tempo. And I feel the way in which that we play, it simply makes our video games thrive much more.”
The Fever have six consecutive residence video games beginning Wednesday towards the last-place Los Angeles Sparks earlier than the regular-season finale at Washington.
AP WNBA ballot
New York stays within the high spot on this week’s AP WNBA energy ballot as the primary 4 groups stay unchanged. Minnesota, Connecticut and Las Vegas had been subsequent atop the ballot. Indiana moved as much as fifth with Seattle sixth. Phoenix, Atlanta and Dallas had been subsequent. Chicago dropped to tenth with Washington and Los Angeles rounding out the ballot.
Caitlin nook
Clark had one other strong week, averaging 26.3 factors, 9.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds to assist the Fever win all three of their video games. She’s nonetheless turning the ball over a bit a lot, averaging 5.7 within the three victories, however the ball has been in her fingers lots. Clark additionally hit 13 3-pointers within the three video games, blowing previous Rhyne Howard’s rookie file of 85 set in 2022. Indiana’s younger star now has 98 on the season.
Rookie affect
Angel Reese turned the WNBA’s single-season rebounding chief with eight video games remaining. Chicago’s rookie completed with 17 factors and 19 rebounds for her twenty fourth double-double, a league rookie file. She has 418 rebounds for a median of 13.1 per sport, along with her complete surpassing Sylvia Fowles’ file of 404 in 2018. The 6-foot-3 Reese additionally broke the file for offensive rebounds with 165, passing Yolanda Griffiths (162 in 2001).
Suspended a sport
Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud will sit out the workforce’s subsequent sport after accruing her seventh technical foul of the season in a loss to Las Vegas on Sunday. Beneath WNBA guidelines, a participant or coach is mechanically suspended with out pay for one sport upon receiving a seventh technical foul in the course of the common season. For each two extra technical fouls obtained throughout that common season, the participant or coach shall be mechanically suspended for a further sport.
Participant of the week
Wilson had one other spectacular set of video games to earn AP Participant of the Week honors because the Aces star averaged 36.3 factors, 13 rebounds and three blocks to assist Las Vegas win two of its three video games. Indiana’s Mitchell additionally obtained votes.
Sport of the week
Las Vegas at New York, Sunday. The Aces have been enjoying higher recently and at present sit in fourth within the standings. They’ve an enormous street journey upcoming with video games at Connecticut on Friday and New York earlier than ending the journey with a pair video games at Indiana.