Caitlin Clark posted a career-low two points Thursday night as the Indiana Fever fell to the Minnesota Lynx 86-66 in their regular-season finale, losing critical playoff seeding ground. This wasn’t just a loss; it was a rough outing that saw the Fever drop from the No. 5 to the No. 6 seed in the WNBA playoffs, all while star Aliyah Boston went down with a right lower leg injury. Talk about a gut punch before the postseason even starts.
Fever’s Slowest Start Costs Them Big
The Fever looked completely out of sync from the jump, recording one of their slowest first halves of the entire season. You know Sophie Cunningham said the team needed to work on faster starts? Well, the Lynx opened scoring with a Maya Caldwell three-pointer, and even though Clark answered with her lone field goal of the game, Indiana got outscored a brutal 21-4 in the opening minutes. Minnesota, already the WNBA’s top seed, didn’t even have star rookie Olivia Miles, but they shot lights out from deep, going 11-for-18 from behind the arc in the first half alone. Meanwhile, the Fever managed just three makes on 21 attempts from deep. By halftime, Natasha Howard and Kayla McBride had combined for 34 points, more than the entire Fever squad’s 32. That 30-point halftime lead was just too much to overcome, even with Indiana outscoring the Lynx 25-10 in the fourth quarter. Finishing the game shooting just 34 percent from the field and 16 percent from deep? Not gonna cut it.
Playoff Picture Gets Dicey for Indiana
Dropping to the No. 6 seed because of this loss, combined with the Washington Mystics’ win over the Chicago Sky, means the Fever now have a much tougher road ahead. Instead of facing the Atlanta Dream, they’re slated to take on either the Las Vegas Aces or the Golden State Valkyries when the postseason tips off this Sunday. If the Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night, they’ll lock in the No. 2 seed. Otherwise, the Valkyries could snag a first-round matchup against the Fever with a win over the Los Angeles Sparks or if the Aces lose. And let’s not forget about Aliyah Boston’s right lower leg injury. The team’s gonna be waiting for an update there, because heading into the postseason potentially against the defending WNBA champions without her would be absolutely brutal. This Sunday is gonna be wild, so buckle up!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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