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Caitlin Clark missed her fifth consecutive game on Wednesday due to a right groin injury, but her teammates once again had her back. The Indiana Fever held off the Phoenix Mercury in a high-scoring affair at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 107-101, to extend their winning streak to three games.
With the win, the Fever improved to 15-12 for the season and climbed three games above .500 for the first time since 2015 — the last year they won a playoff game.
Heading into Wednesday’s matchup, the story was DeWanna Bonner’s return to Indianapolis a month after her messy split from the Fever. As expected, the Indiana fans voiced their displeasure with Bonner, but after a few early boos they spent the rest of the night cheering their team to victory.
The Fever trailed by double digits at the end of the first quarter but dominated the second frame to take the lead going into halftime. They maintained that advantage until early in the fourth quarter when Kahleah Copper put the Mercury back in front.
Aliyah Boston made sure the Mercury’s lead was short-lived. The All-Star center took over the game and ripped off a personal 10-0 run in a two-minute span to give the Fever control again. While the Mercury kept on fighting, the Fever held them off down the stretch to secure one of their biggest wins of the season.
Boston finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds to record her fourth consecutive double-double and continue a stellar campaign. She’s had to pick up a lot of slack with Clark sidelined for more than half the season and is averaging 15.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on 54.8% shooting. Her scoring and assist marks are both career highs.
The Fever also got a career high 27 points from Aari McDonald, who has moved into the starting point guard role without Clark. McDonald initially joined the team on a hardship exception during Clark’s first injury, but had to be released once the Fever got healthy. Ironically, Bonner forcing her way out of town gave the Fever the cap space to sign McDonald to a rest-of-season contract.
McDonald, a former lottery pick, has been a much better fit for this Fever team than Bonner — and more productive. In 16 games with the Fever, McDonald is averaging 9.6 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Her quickness with the ball has allowed the Fever to maintain their pace without Clark, and her intensity at the point of attack gives their perimeter defense a big boost.
Clark is still without a timeline for her return, and this recent hot streak will allow the Fever to be even more cautious with her recovery. After Wednesday’s win, the Fever (15-12) are alone in sixth place and closer to third (1.5 games behind the Mercury) than they are to ninth (two games up on the Golden State Valkyries).
