Caitlin Clark had 27 factors, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, and Kelsey Mitchell added 20 factors to her WNBA single-season scoring document because the Indiana Fever beat the Minnesota Lynx 96-77 on Tuesday night time.
It was a blended night time for the Lynx. Portland Hearth’s victory over the Golden State Valkyries later within the night meant Minnesota have clinched the No 1 seed for the playoffs, which begin on Sunday. Nonetheless, the Lynx had been with out Olivia Miles. The record-breaking rookie was a late scratch due to an injured left calf, and her absence clearly had an influence. Miles broke Clark’s single-season scoring document by a rookie on Sunday. Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve stated she nearly held Miles out Sunday in opposition to Connecticut and that the staff would take the harm day-to-day because the playoffs strategy.
Indiana took management with a 14-2 run to shut the primary quarter whereas opening up a 31-16 lead. The Fever prolonged the margin to 38-18 shortly within the second quarter and led by as a lot as 57-28 the primary half. That led Reeve to tug most of her starters for the second half and Minnesota ahead Napheesa Collier stated she was sad together with her staff’s efficiency on the night time.
“It’s embarrassing,” Collier informed ESPN. “We needs to be disenchanted and embarrassed concerning the product that we placed on the ground tonight. Not pleased with what we did.”
The Fever have already clinched their place within the playoffs, and Tuesday’s win saved alive their faint hopes of incomes the No 4 seed and home-court benefit within the first spherical for a minimum of yet another day.
“We’re scary after we’re clicking,” Clark stated. “Like, we’re one of the best offensive staff within the league, and we’ve proven moments the place we might be actually good defensively. I really feel very assured in the whole lot and everyone that we now have on this locker room, and I believe for us it’s simply discovering a stage of consistency.”
Reeve had referred to as for her staff to intention at “ripping folks’s hearts out, and taking momentum again.” Nonetheless, after the loss to Fever, Reeve stated she hoped her staff would discover that mindset when the staff meet once more on Thursday.
“Nicely, that’s not my model of ‘F you,’” Reeve stated. “So, we’ll possibly talk about that. Like, what does that imply to you? And so that might be nice that possibly which may exist on Thursday.”
Reeve additionally stated that clinching residence courtroom benefit for the playoffs didn’t matter to her as a result of the Lynx are a “rattling good highway staff.”