The Indiana Fever suffered a massive blow in the WNBA playoff race on Sunday. They had a rough shooting night at home against the Washington Mystics, losing by 16 points.
In the Fever’s 93-77 defeat, Caitlin Clark had 25 points, two rebounds and five assists. She shot just 6-for-20 from the field but was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Kelsey Mitchell also struggled with her shot, though she extended her scoring streak to 26, with 22 points on 20 shots. Aliyah Boston was in foul trouble and only registered seven points.
Bad News for Indiana Fever Amid Playoff Seeding Race
Due to their loss, the Indiana Fever dropped to 27-15 for the season. They remained fifth in the WNBA standings, but they lost ground to the Atlanta Dream for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
According to ESPN’s Kareem Copeland, there’s more bad news for the Fever because they could drop to eighth if they lose their last two games against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx.
The New York Liberty, Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings will have to win their final two games to force the Fever into an unfavorable situation heading into the postseason.
“Indiana could drop to the No. 8 seed if it loses both games to the Lynx and the Liberty, Mystics (26-16) and Dallas Wings (26-16) win out. Washington and Dallas do not face a playoff-bound team in the final two games,” Copeland wrote.
The Liberty are set to face the Dream in back-to-back games in Brooklyn, so anything is still possible. The Mystics have it easy against the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun, while the Wings is set to battle the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm.
Caitlin Clark on Indiana’s Loss to Washington
Speaking on her postgame media availability on Sunday, Caitlin Clark knew that they had a rough shooting night against the Washington Mystics. Clark saw the positive in the Indiana Fever’s defeat as something that is unlikely to happen again.
“We shot the ball probably as poorly as we’ve shot it all year long,” Clark said. “And sometimes that’s just how the game of basketball goes. It feels like we just couldn’t throw it in the water. But at the same time, and that might happen in the playoffs, so figure it out. Find a way to win and find a way to get to the free-throw line.
“Find a way to get some easy buckets,” she added. “But at the same time, I’m not sure we’ll ever shoot it poorly the rest of the year like that. I mean, we’ve had the best offense in the league all year. And it just didn’t feel like us.”
The Fever are back in action on September 22, hosting the Minnesota Lynx. They then finish the regular season two days later at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Indiana Fever Get Bad News Amid WNBA Playoff Race