Caitlin Clark just carved her name into WNBA history, becoming the first player EVER to drop a 25-point, 15-assist game, and it secured a season-saving 99-89 win for the Indiana Fever over the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces in Game 2. This whole best-of-three first-round series now comes down to a winner-take-all Game 3 in Las Vegas on Thursday. Talk about high stakes!
The Fever’s Big Three Came to Play
Clark’s performance was absolutely wild. She put up 27 points, dished out 15 assists, and grabbed seven rebounds, all while shooting 9 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 11 from downtown. And get this: she did all that despite fouling out with 2:45 left, getting hit with a technical foul earlier, and even joking she “threw up everything in [her] stomach” at halftime. That’s a memorable playoff performance, without a doubt. Her 15 assists even tied for the third-most in WNBA playoff history! Between her own buckets and setting up teammates, Clark was directly responsible for a staggering 24 of the Fever’s 37 field goals and 58 points. That’s tied for the most points created in a playoff game, period. She said after the game that the team brought a much tougher mentality after a soft Game 1, and it clearly paid off.
It wasn’t just the Caitlin Clark show, though. The Fever’s Big Three absolutely went off. Kelsey Mitchell added 26 points, while Aliyah Boston delivered with 22 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Those three combined for an incredible 75 of Indiana’s 99 points. When Clark fouled out and the Aces managed to cut the lead to five points late, Boston stepped up huge with a tough bucket, and then Mitchell sealed the deal from the free-throw line. On the Aces side, Jackie Young led everyone with 31 points, and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson chipped in 22 points and nine rebounds, but their offense just wasn’t as potent as in their blowout Game 1 victory.
Game 3 Is Go Time
Now it all comes down to Thursday’s Game 3 in Las Vegas. The Fever need to figure out how to slow down the Aces’ offense one more time if they want to advance to the semifinals for the second straight season. Clark knows what’s ahead, saying, “Obviously it’s gonna take a lot to beat these guys. Defending champions, and they got championship DNA, so we know we have our hands full in Game 3, but just proud of this group and happy for the fans.” Get ready for an absolute battle. This is why we watch!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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